Threads Of Desire
by Kineticfairy
Summary: In time of war Sakura's betrothed is captured and she travels to Otogakure to beg for his life. Sasuke, prince of Otogakure fascinated by the courageous girl, agrees to release the prisoners, only if she will stay with him. .:New Chapter:.
1. Sacrifice

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property and creation of Kishimoto Masashi. I own none of the characters or the** **places mentioned in this story. And let's just say I'm not responsible enough to own something as great as Naruto.**

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_It was love at first sight when he saw Persephone. Using his divine powers, he opened up the earth beside her, seized her and dragged her down to the depths of his gloomy realm._

Until she saw the glint of eyes in the firelight, she had thought they were all asleep. He was watching her again. The other had stared- at her pink hair, her green eyes, her pale skin. He _watched_. She shifted against the tree trunk behind her, trying to find a place where the bark did not scrap into her spine. She was far from them as she could get, as close to fresh air as he would allow, unable to bear the claustrophobia she felt in their presence.

Distance from them, however, also meant distance from the only source of heat. After four nights of this, one would think she would stop being so childish. She was cold. She needed warmth of the fire. It occurred to her that this was a ridiculous time to develop a phobia.

What was happening to her was real now, all the time, not just in spurts. The cold was a fact, and her weariness, and trying to keep down the food they gave her. She supposed she was lucky they shared their rations with her at all. Cold, exhaustion, stomach cramps. Those things were real. She did not how far they were from her village.

The first two days were had been real only in sharp jolts like pricks of a kunai, and now that she had thought back on them she knew what a fool she had been to succumb to shock. She was a physician; she knew the symptoms, so she should have recognized them and dragged herself out of stunned lethargy.

She had not though and now she only had the vaguest idea of where she was. Twenty, fifty, a hundred measures in any direction from the village of Konohagakure, not that knowing her location would have done her any good. She was not afraid of him- of either of them. They had not touched her, had almost been polite. They gave her food and water, allowed her decent privacy to attend her physical needs.

That was the only time he did not watch her.

The other only looked, fascinated by her strangeness. _He_ was the one who searched beyond the color of her eyes to see what might lie within. He was doing it now- catching her gaze, trying to reach into her. She bore it as long as she could then turned her head away. She did not dare close her eyes, even to rest them, which proved a difficult feat. She blinked her eyes and sniffled. Her eyes stung and the headache she felt was like a war hammer smashing into her skull repeatedly.

They both were the only two awake until early dawn. As the fire died, he lifted from his seat on the moss-covered log and headed over to the sleeping man at his side, "Juugo! Wake up." The other man rose from his resting place on the other side of the fireplace, rubbed his eyes, and stretched before standing. "We're moving. Come on." Levering her chilled body upright, a hard hand grasped her elbow- the first time any of them had touched her since they had seized her from the Hidden Leaf village.

"Let me go," she said without fear, and tried to shake him off. Nevertheless, he hauled her through the forest. Only when they reached the border of Otogakure did he release her, by then it was early afternoon. They brought her to an elaborate palace with jade roofing and alabaster walls. They led her inside. The halls were extensive and cool, keeping her skin chilled.

She remained quiet as they escorted her to a room and allowed a few moments' privacy to wash away some of the dirt and stink of the road. The cursory daubing with cloth soaked in scented water only made her long for a real bath. The impatient knocking brought her back to her senses. More so, why she was with these men in the first place, she returned to them, feeling better, a state that lasted only until she reached the throne room. Fingers sweat-moist and shaking, she remembered again why she had allowed these men to take her. The journey and the stares had rattled her, but she must not be afraid, not in front of the enemy.

They pushed her through the big doors and she nearly tripped over her own two feet as the door closed behind her. The room was dark, lit only by torches at each corner of the room. The floor was a black marble and the ceiling gilt, in the middle of the throne room was the throne seated on a small platform, embellished in reds and gold. A single stool was seated a few feet from the throne, it was not until she turned did she notice the two guards standing at the large doors she had been pushed through.

She did not know how long she had been standing there, but she stood quietly by until another door stationed at the left of the throne room opened. A tall, lean-limbed man walked in, and she thought he was the type of man not to be terrified by anything. Perhaps she had expected him to be striding around like the conqueror he had come to be, snarling commands and ordering vicious punishment for the slightest infraction of warrior discipline.

Perhaps she thought he would be fierce, or fiercely ugly with eyes that even the harshest of villains would cringe to meet directly. Whatever she may have anticipated, it was not this darkly elegant man, no older than twenty-five, whose black eyes held both sharp interest and sardonic exuberance and whose face was as clean-shaven as on the day of his birth.

He had height on her, but his shoulders were not much broader. His body was slimmed-hipped, lean as a rapier, and he moved with a lazy ease that suggested he possessed a formidable strength. He was beautiful like a dark angel or a shinigami. "Welcome," he said, his voice deep and sonorous. "Lady of Konohagakure." he added wryly. He stopped a few feet in front of her, dark eyes like obsidian boring into her. He gestured and spoke a single word that she did not understand. The guards bowed and left the throne room.

She could kill him now and it would all be over, but she did not have any weapons on hand and she was no match for him. "Please sit," her host invited, indicating to the stool behind her. "I'm sure you're tired from your journey from Konohagakure to Otogakure. Sit and rest. Wine for your thirst?"

She neither spoke nor moved.

The Otokage smirked, revealing that he was also a man that did not laugh easily or readily. "Lady, a woman of your stature sits in the presence even of enemies. I ask, please sit." When she remained standing, he shrugged and turned, walking over to the throne to take his ease. He made himself utterly at home in front of her. "I've recently captured a regiment of Konohagakure soldiers. Did you come to beg for your husband's life?"

He was wrong; he had not captured her husband, but her intended husband: Hyuuga Neji. A man whom she had come to care for even though they were still strangers, she had risked herself for him, wandering willing with enemies for a chance to speak with this man here. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his knees, hands clasped loosely between them, and scrutinized her face in turn.

He lifted a hand, his sleeve falling back from a broad, shining armguard, to brush back solid black forelocks, a black that had blue highlights in the torchlight. "Let him go," she demanded, knowing well enough that she was in no position to be making demands. "Leave our lands in peace, haven't you killed enough?" She hated him, she hated him with her entire soul and never had she hated anyone before.

He sat forward, hands fisted on muscular thighs and he pushed himself up, standing again. He came down the steps and circled her. "If I let him go…" he observed her, his hand reaching out, but falling back as he came to stand an arms length in front of her. "What's in it for me?" he continued in a low, lethal voice. There was a black fire in his eyes. After a moments' pause between them he whispered in another venomous tone, "You have nothing, go home and mourn your husband's death." He turned to leave and she took a step forward, stopping as her heart began to beat frantically like a trapped thing. She was panicking; she had to think of something.

"Wait!" he slowed to a stop, but did not turn to face her. "Take me in his stead." He turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder before veering around completely and walking back over to her. This time when he reached for her, he took her hair between his fingers. She was beautiful. Her long strawberry blond hair was finer than any silk he had ever touched, glossy and scented with vanilla even after her long journey.

Her skin was a milky white and shaded like gold and her makeup was so light and so skillful that he first thought she was not wearing any. The bones of her face were sculpted and lovely, and the eyes were a startling, drowning emerald. He was fascinated with her beauty and her courage. It was a fine trait. "What's your name?" He asked in a soft tone, still mesmerized by her face.

"Sakura." she replied laconically, he did not deserve to know her surname. Each dark brow rose and he let her hair fall from his fingers. He was about to introduce himself but she interrupted him. "I know who you are, Uchiha Sasuke. So will you free him?" This time when he stared at her, it was with narrowed eyes. He repeated her name, it rolled off his tongue effortless and she thought her name had never sounded so beautiful, she hated this man, he made her feel beautiful and disgusting all together.

"Done…!" He stormed past her and out of the door the guards had used. She whirled around and followed him, but he slammed the door shut and she looked around, when she pulled the door open a guard was standing in front of the door with his back to her. She took a bold step outside and the guard shot his arm out, preventing her from leaving. She found him with her eyes and glared at him. He paid no attention, Kami, how it made her angry.

Sakura closed the door and whirled around angrily, her tattered skirts hissing across the floor. She spotted the other door Uchiha Sasuke had first walked through and she hurried over to them. Not even an instants hope heartened her, she pulled open the door and just as she opened it, there was a guard standing there, just as she suspected. She threw the door closed and hit it with her fist, cursing heatedly.

"NO!" she screamed, slapping her hands against the door again. "Neji-kun!" she sobbed as she fell to the floor, her hair spilling over her shoulders as she wept in her hands. He did not even let her say goodbye, she just wanted to see Neji one last time, kiss him one last time. She cursed the war, spat on it and hated everyone here and she hated Neji most of all for even getting involved in the war and she hated herself for throwing away her freedom.

Minutes… hours maybe, passed. The door opened again and she looked up from her spot on the floor, into those deep obsidian eyes. He extended a hand to her and she glared at him, wiped her eyes dry and got to her feet by herself. They walked down the long hall lit only by torches evenly spaced along the stone walls. She followed him with angry tears in her eyes as they climbed up the stairs, higher and higher. Down another corridor until they reached a room with white doors and silver handles.

He pushed open the door and gestured for her to enter. She stepped inside then whirled around to ask about the man she had thrown her life willing away for but he interrupted her rather brusquely. "There aren't too many women here, but you'll be safe and I'll have clothes sent up to you and food." After that, he shut the door and she felt her anger rise again. She pulled open the door and found a guard stationed at her door, of all the nerve!

Closing the door again, she turned to observe the room he had chosen for her. The bed was a canopy with sheer white curtains with embroidered bed sheets and thick feather pillows. The room was beautiful, there was a Hepplewhite cedar chest placed at the foot of the bed holding extra down comforters, just in case the two Egyptian cotton duvets on the bed weren't enough. Layers of opulent lace billowed around the windows, streaming over a velvet-covered window seat.

The walls were pale pink, trimmed with pearl white. Across the room was a huge carved oak vanity, with a floor length silver mirror and white vanity set. Sakura walked across the cold marble floor towards the throw rug then headed to the window seat oversaw the cherry trees that had been blossoming just below the gilt framed window. She shut the curtains, walked over to the closet, and opened it, surprised to find that it was not a closet but a bathroom, a beautiful bathroom of white tiles and a claw-foot bathtub.

Sakura walked over to the sink, looked into the oval gilt mirror, and stared at her reflection. Sakura closed her eyes and fell to the floor tears swelling in her eyes for the second time as pressed her head to her knees, hugging her stomach, crying her eyes out. It would be the last time, after today, she would never cry again. Another hour passed before there was a knock on the door. Sakura dried her face with a white hand cloth and went to answer the door.

A woman with long white blond hair and baby blue eyes was standing at the door with a beautiful silk kimono draped over her arms and holding in her hands a tray of food. Sakura allowed her inside and the woman introduced herself as Yamanaka Ino. "Here, eat this and I'll go get you some water for your bath, you're a mess." she stood up, dusted off her skirts and left the room. Sakura looked at the food and dug in, indifferent to etiquette; she was a prisoner so she used fingers and ate greedily and quickly as if she had never seen food before. She drank down the wine and devoured the grapes after the bread, fish and cheeses.

Sakura wiped her hands on the skirt of her dress and peeled off the soiled dress, leaving her in the silk slip. Falling back against the soft mattress she just about closed her eyes when the door opened with two women carrying two buckets of hot water to fill the tub. Ino walked over and picked up the dress Sakura had removed minutes ago. She looked at it with disgust. "This will be burned immediately. Along with that slip your wearing, your bath is ready."

Sakura moaned begrudgingly and Ino tapped her arm, flicking her ear. Ino pulled Sakura up and she went to the bathroom, removing her slip as she did. Ino picked it up and turned. Sakura dipped into the hot water when she was alone in the room; there were cherry blossoms in the water. Sakura lolled back in the bath, closing her eyes. This was just what she needed to soothe all her aches.

She thought about Neji as she watched the stream roll of the water's surface, and the time she had spent with him, learning to know him. He was a wonderful man, with tender kisses and embraces. It hurt to think that she would never see him again that she traded her freedom for his. It was a wonderfully, stupid gesture, he would have forbidden her to give her freedom up for his, he was a man after all. Sakura refused to cry, having had made a promise earlier to herself.

When Sakura came out wearing the new slip Ino had brought her. Ino quickly set to work brushing her hair until it was dry and free of tangles, smelling like the flower her parents named her for. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, she had not slept since she left her village, the hot bath and meal only coaxed her further towards sleep. Her eyes were heavy. Ino sighed and sat up. "Sasuke-kun wants you to come down later for dinner with him."

"No…"

"What…? What do you mean no, any woman would die to dine with the Otokage?" Her eyes glossed over as she clapped her hands together, close to her heart. "Oh, he's the most handsome man in the all the lands; you'd have to be crazy not to want to be graced with his presence."

"I'm his prisoner." Ino seemed taken aback further by that then her not wanting to share a meal with the ruler of Otogakure. She started asking what she meant by prisoner. "My village is Konohagakure and my betrothed is Hyuuga Neji, he is the Hokage's Battle Commander, so he, of course, was sent to fight, but I received word of his capture and… I've come to care for my betrothed in a way very much close to love so I chose to negotiate with the man who imprisoned him, but ended up exchange my freedom for his."

"Ah! That is love, beautiful love." Ino said, swooning. Sakura smiled thinly nodding and lifting the chain around her neck, showing off the opal ring too big to fit any of her slender fingers. "Oh, that is exquisite."

"Neji-kun gave it to me before he left, promising that he would come back for it. It belonged to his late Otou-san." She lowered it and bowed her head, feeling sad. "I suppose he'll never get it back now. Not while I'm a prisoner here." Ino did not say anything; the mood had been darkened and after a few minutes ticking by, Ino excused herself and left the room. Sakura crawled under the blankets and fell asleep.

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**A/N: So tell me what you thought, good… bad, liked it, hated it… oh, no, don't hate it. Thank you, for reading and I hoped you liked it.**


	2. Imprisonment

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property and creation of Kishimoto Masashi. I own none of the characters or the places mentioned in this story.**

**Acknowledgements and Thank you's:**

**angel2559**: Yay, my first reviewer for this story, thank you, it makes me feel like I did good.  
**kittymama12  
les-liaisons-dangereuses**: Well, Neji won't be making any appearances except maybe in flashbacks.  
**Laura-chan**: Oh, its always great to get one of your reviews.  
**I'm a lumberjack  
AimeLaire  
LittlePinkDevil  
Meira Evenstar**: Thank you, I will.  
**I.Silly**: Yes, there will be flashbacks from time to time, especially in this chapter to learn a little more about Sakura in this story.  
**Arielle**: Thank you.  
**gaarsaku4ever  
kittygoesmeow  
BlueSkyHeaven  
animequeen100  
petite.ina  
mary  
Spread-My-Wingz-And-Soar  
sakurastears  
Princess7  
Raefire**: I know, I can't help myself, sometimes I go to read a Neji/Sakura story and if Sasuke is in it, I always start wanting Sakura to hook up with Sasuke, even though I know the story will not go that way. This was original going to be a Itachi/Sakura/Sasuke story, but… don't worry, Neji won't even make a decent appearance in this story. Lol.  
**Shy Faery89**: Oh, Shy, your reviews always put a big, dumb grin on my face. This was thought somewhere after my very first Naruto story: How To Save A Life. Since Marionette is almost over I decided to get started on another story. I can't help myself, making people suffer is so easy. Phew, I'm glad you loved it, puts a great deal of ease on my subconscious. Yes, now I'm in you author alert. Cool.  
**Quiet Screams  
Oyuki  
HPBabe91**: I can't help myself, Neji is my second favorite male character.  
**cherrilatina  
Princess of drama  
NorthernLights25  
Lady Azaria  
Kazemaru-kun**: Nothing makes me happier than knowing I could hook someone with a single chapter.  
**Sayonara Solitaire**: Oh, look at all the colorful balloons falling around for you being my thirstiest reviewer, yippee! This calls for a celebration! I'm so very glad you liked the first chapter; I hope I can continue to make each new chapter as enthralling.

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They are surrounded by lush, green vegetation; it's a beautiful spot. The green here is the alchemist's secret fire, which could transform lead into gold, and turn a monster into a shining vision of beauty.

…

A gentle kiss laid on her cheek startled her awake from her place in the tall grass. She stared up at the handsome face and into the soft lavender eyes; she reached up and raked her fingers through his soft, silky chocolate brown hair raining down on her face. He kissed her again, only this time he touched her lips. It was a soft gentle kiss, with his tongue tenderly caressing hers. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands pressing to his muscular back under the fabric of his white shirt.

He pulled back and traced the angles of her face, over her temple, the curve of her nose and cheekbones and her chin and jaw. He ran his thumb over her shell pink lips, slowly, enticingly. She looked up at him with a dreamy stare. "I was dreaming, Neji-kun."

"What about…?" She smiled at him and took his thumb into her mouth. He watched her as she closed her lips over the digit, rolling her tongue over the smooth nail and pad before pushing his thumb out with her tongue. She felt his heart quicken under the fabric of his shirt.

"I was dreaming about you and our wedding day." she smiled up at him, scraping her teeth over the ridges of skin. He drew his hand away from her mouth and slipped his hand into her long strawberry blond hair, he gave her a full kiss, one that stole her breath and made her body tremble with dark desire.

He pulled back enough to whisper into her mouth. "Did you want a sample of what will happen after the ceremony and celebration?" she gave him a wicked grin and he kissed her again and pulled her up out of the grass. He was still kissing her deeply as he maneuvered her body until she was secure in his arms and he lifted her up and stood with her. She kissed him back, sucking on his bottom lip gently.

There were things she did not know about the man that she was about to marry, but she had years to figure him out. She sighed as he broke the kiss and started on her neck, little kisses that tickled her skin. She smiled, laughing softly as he continued his ministrations. Suddenly someone called out to them from the manor a few measures away, "Neji-sama, Neji-sama, my lord urgent news!"

Neji groaned and pressed his forehead to her shoulder and then lowered her back to the ground. She smoothed down her dress and he turned too. "What is it?" he yelled irritably to the guard who dared to disturb him when he was with his future wife. Sakura looked at him and then over at the small hill rise and towards the guard hurrying over to them.

"There's a letter for you, Neji-sama, from the Hokage." He sighed and reached for the scroll presented to him. He read the first line and then turned to look at Sakura.

"Escort, Haruno-chan back to her room and then meet me in the study with the others." Sakura reached for him and he turned and smiled at her as if to tell her that everything was fine. He kissed her between the eyes and then went ahead. Sakura took a moment to gather her wits then she headed off with the guard. She was worried about Neji and worried about what the letter had said. Just when she became intimate for the first time with him, someone just had to interrupt them.

Once she was alone in her room, she walked over to her bed, pulled back the duvet and lay down, pulling the blanket over her. She snuggled into the pillows and closed her eyes. She settled effortlessly into sleep. She was too tired to dream of anything but darkness and she was content inside it, but just as the black foreground started to turn red, someone was shaking her awake. She opened her eyes strenuously and rolled over, her hand coming up to rub her eyes.

Neji was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking down at her, Sakura smiled sleepily at him and stroked his hand. "Hmm, this is the second time you've woken me," When he did not smile, she sat up, letting the blanket pool in her lap. "What's the matter?" She took his face between her hands and searched his eyes as if trying to pull his secrets out from them.

He pressed his hands against her hands and stroked the engagement ring on her third finger of her left hand. He took a deep breath as if he were trying to figure something out, exhaling slowly he looked back into her eyes. "War has broken out, with Otogakure." She blinked, thick eyelashes clicking together.

"And…?"

"And… the Hokage has summoned me to join. I am his Battle Commander and strategist after all." She bit the inside of her cheek and then ran her tongue over her bottom lip, carefully choosing her words before she said anything. He watched her and her green eyes stared at him, lucid and shimmering with unshed tears.

"I don't want you to go," she whimpered pulling him against her so that his forehead pressed against hers. He wrapped both arms around her and pressed her closer to him, his hand pressed against the back of her head. Her head dropped to his shoulders, tears falling onto his shoulder, soaking through his shirt.

"I don't want to go either," he said softly into her beautifully scented hair, he inhaled slowly as if to savor the scent, memorize it, to remember it always. She pulled back from his body, just enough so she could see his beautiful eyes.

"Then don't, stay here with me. Marry me, tell the Hokage that you have a family to look after now and that you can't go into war!" He pulled away from her and out of the bed and walked over to the window. More tears slid down her face. "Don't you want to marry me?"

"You know I do." His voice was low, laced with outrage, outraged that she could ask him such a question, he had fallen in love with her, even though she was still very new to him. He had given her his ring and his home and soon his family's name. "I love you; I love you so much that it hurts to think of being away from you for who knows how long."

"You're really going to go?" He nodded, walked back over to her, he tried to get his arms around her, but she swerved out of his way and out of the bed. She walked over to the window and stared down to see the sun just setting over the horizon, casting gold and orange and red into the sky.

"Sakura…" Sakura shook her head, reached into the pockets of her dress, and tied her hair back. He said her name again and she looked at him, eyes dark and brows lowered. "Don't look at me like that, would you really have me abandon my Lord and country?"

"I didn't ask for this, I didn't ask to fall in love with you and I sure as hell didn't ask to be your wife, you asked. Why didn't you just leave me alone, go have your war." She made her way for the exit and Neji grabbed her by the elbow and she whirled around, her hand snapping out to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled both her arms up and wrapped them around his neck and he pressed his chin against the crown of her head.

"I asked you to be my wife, because I'm crazy about you and I had to have you," She sobbed into the front of his shirt and he kissed the top of her head. "I will come back and marry you, tell me you're not proud of me, proud that I would do anything to defend my country and my lady. Tell me, Haruno-chan."

"What if something terrible happens, Neji-kun, what if you're injured, maimed or worse… killed?" she looked up at him, swallowing her tears as she shook her head. He brushed away her tears and stepped back, smiling softly at her.

"Wait here a moment." In quick graceful strides, he crossed the room and left. Sakura stood there at the window, wrapping her arms around her as she sniffed back unruly tears, a few moments later, he returned. "My father… I miss him, everyday, but before his death he gave me something that had been important to him and is now important to me." She looked at his fisted right hand and he presented her with the gold ring set with deep red rubies.

"Neji-kun, no…"

"I'll be back for this." He slipped it around the thin chain and slipped it around her neck, flipped her hair over the band and let the jewel fall against her chest over the fabric of her dress. He traced the circle of the ring. "I promise, Sakura, I'll be back for this since you don't believe me when I say you're something I would return for."

She kissed him, slipped her fingers into his hair and sighed. "Just don't… don't be a hero, please, just don't." He said nothing to that only kissed her again and then again. She ran her hands down his chest, took his hands, and pressed them to her cheeks, her emerald irises changing to jade in the shift of light. "When do you have to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning… stay with me tonight."

She cared so deeply for him, she loved that he came to her, how he courted her and asked her father for her hand. Her mother and father adored him, not because he was lord to a manor or the one the Hokage sought strategic advice from or even his title of Battle Commander. Her parents found him to be everything suitable for their only daughter, their only child and her father had come to think of Hyuuga Neji as the son he never had. Therefore, after winning Sakura's favor and then her parent's favor alike she came to live with him in his manor.

His immediate family was few and in-between. His mother was all he had after his father perished in a war when Neji was still a small boy. He had a cousin, Hyuuga Hinata and her sister as well as his uncle and aunt. His love for them was as shaky as a house of cards, many things threatened to knock away the foundations. Sakura knew that he was a good man and good for her; she could see herself truly falling in love with him.

When night had fallen and after a session of kissing and talking, holding one another, they drifted off to sleep. Later Sakura opened her eyes to see him breathing softly, his hand lax on her hip. He was so beautiful, she just could not imagine another man out there that could surpass his physical characteristics and no man could ever measure up to the kindness in his heart.

"I am proud of you," she whispered softly as she fingered the ring, his father's ring, his prize possession. She pressed her cheek to his arm and closed her eyes, "So proud."

It was not until months later that the incidents leading to her current predicament occurred, word was sent of Hyuuga Neji's capture along with his regiment and therefore she concluded that she would bring him back, not knowing of the events that would lead to her own imprisonment.

Sakura woke from her memory, blinking several times in the dimness of the bedroom that to her was more of an extravagant prison cell then anything else. She looked up to see a shadowy figure hovering above her, dark eyes narrowed and flashing in the torchlight. She sat up quickly, bringing up the bed sheets close to her chest. Uchiha Sasuke was standing before her, glowing in the light of the dancing flames. "You didn't come down for dinner."

"I… was not hungry."

His voice was soft, menacing. "Regardless, when I require your presence I will have it. We have an arrangement, your husband's freedom for yours. You belong to me, so you will do what I say, when I say it or I will treat you like a real prisoner and lock you in the dungeon. Now, I expect you down for breakfast. So tend to your needs and then come and join me. The guard outside will escort you." She watched his eyes search hers, he held her gaze with ice in his own. She forbade herself to feel frightened by his eyes. He turned and stalked out of the room.

Sakura slowly untangled herself from the bed sheets and brushed back her hair from her face. Just as she dangled her legs over the edge of the bed, the door opened with the same two women from yesterday entering the room with two buckets each of hot water. They bowed their heads to her and one set her buckets down to close the door behind her. Sakura stood up and watched them enter the bathroom, filling the tub with hot water. They informed her when her bath was ready and left.

Sakura closed the door behind her and climbed in. She washed off the nights sweat and washed her hair with the scented soap that smelled of fragrant apple blossoms. When she finished she climbed out of the bath and pulled on the bathrobe, covering herself up as she went back into the beautiful bedroom she had hoped had been nothing but a dream. The women were still there, the older one holding a beautiful kimono in her arms. Sakura removed her robe and they helped her into nagajuban, then the kimono and tied the obi around her waist.

The younger woman styled her hair and placed in the most beautiful jade hairpins she had even seen; their beauty nearly stole her breath. Sakura looked into the mirror. She found herself staring at a stranger, a stranger that she hated more then anyone else in this godforsaken country. They did her make and she frowned as they stepped back, complimenting her beauty.

She brushed it off silently and headed for the door where the guard was standing, this one was different from the one he had stationed at her door last night. She did not care; they were all just means to imprison her within his realm. She stared at him in silent anger and he only stared back before stepping back himself before gesturing her to follow. She followed him down the quiet and just about empty halls. He did not look back at her once; she was just fine with that.

He led her down the stairs and down another hall. He stopped in front of a pair of door and pushed one open, waiting for her to enter. Sakura threw him another furious look and entered the sunroom where she found the Uchiha standing at the window, dressed in white haori and black slacks. As she approached, Sasuke stepped back to watch her. As she walked toward him, he tilted his head, his eyes never leaving hers. White teeth flashed as he grinned.

"You look… beautiful." Sakura said nothing to that as he reached forward toward her coiffured hair, his fingers grazing over the hairpins. "I hope everything is to your liking." Again, she said nothing and his grin disappeared. "Please sit with me."

Sakura did not dare respond to him with words. That would mean engaging him in conversation, which would imply that she wanted to talk to him. She sat down and he sat across from her. She looked at her plate filled with honeyed ham, breads, cheeses, cold meats, and fruits. The goblets filled with wine in which he felt a need to comment. "Good wine," he told her lifting the goblet and bringing it to his lips, his eyes never relinquishing hers. He lowered the goblet. "From my vineyards," he added.

"Drink, Sakura." Sakura closed her eyes for a moment then turned her stare toward the blue crystal goblet. She set it aside and turned her eyes back to his. "You hate me, for the killings and the exchange _you _made. Yet your husband killed my men and I captured him. That's war."

"A war you started," she observed, using her coldest voice.

"A necessary war." the rest of the meal was shared in silence. When she cleaned her plate, only then did she sample the wine. It was a good drink for someone who appreciated a truly fine wine. A little smile touched his lips and he reclined in his chair and regarded her for a silent moment. "Did you enjoy your meal?"

She was silent again, hoping that if she said nothing, he would talk for a time and then having reached his limits of tolerance and patience, dismiss her back to her room. He drained his wine down his throat and rose. He smiled down at her. "Come with me, I would like to show you around." Sakura looked at her empty plate for a moment and then slowly levered herself out of the chair.

Sasuke led her down the halls, she already knew where the throne room was so he skipped it and led her down another corridor and directed her up several flights of stairs where he brought her to the massive study. He brought her to the drawing room and then the kitchen; he stopped at the end of a hall, explaining that his rooms were there. She promised herself that she would never go down there. After he showed her all the places he thought were important for her to see, he turned to her.

"There is one last place I would like to show you." She glanced sidelong at him and then turned and followed him. He led her down another corridor guarded by two men and he led her outside and into a massive courtyard garden. There were lush flowering hedges and several cherry blossoms that made her believe that her room was somewhere on this side of the garden. In the center surrounded by four benches was a beautifully crafted fountain jutting out streams of water from stone spigots.

The trickling of the water was peaceful; the bright exotic flowers perfumed the air and made it seem as the garden removed them far from the rest of the world. Little birds combed through the flourishing green grass littered with the petals of the cherry blossoms. She looked around and he smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "You are free to come and go as you please…"

Wild hope rose in her as she turned her eyes to look at him, his smile faded and he dropped his arms back to his side, "Within the palace walls." He said with a soft sigh. "This is your home now, after all. If you desire anything at all you need to do is ask. Excuse me; I'll leave you to your thoughts." When he was gone, Sakura walked over to the fountain and seated herself in the center far away from the still opened doors so the guards could keep an eye on her.

Lazily she ran her fingers over the cold surface of the water, rippling from the water jetting down from the spigots. Sakura had never been so alone in her life. She never wanted never to move again. She sat there in the morning sun, a breeze rising to caress her face. She lifted her dripping fingers to her face, brushed back her forelocks futilely and lowered her head, closing her green eyes.

She hooked her finger around the chain circling her neck and tugged until she freed the ring buried under her collar of her kimono. Sakura looked up, green eyes liquid with sorrow, she stared at the bejeweled circle of metal and brought it to her lips and she pressed a kiss the cold ring. "I miss you," she whispered as she tucked the ring under her collar once more.

"S-Sakura…" Sakura blinked at turned to see Ino walked in the gardens coming from the far left side of the garden. Sakura wondered just how big this garden really was. She stood up and started to walk towards Ino. She was about to ask Ino what she was doing in the gardens, but Ino beat her to it. "What are you doing here Sakura-chan?"

Sakura laughed a little. "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"Huh? Oh… well, just between you and me Sasuke-kun does not really like anyone here in the gardens. They belonged to his Okaa-san once."

"Once…?" Sakura repeated warily. Ino nodded and frowned. Sakura looked at her a little harder and Ino shrugged.

"Long ago, Sasuke-kun's entire Clan was massacred, I don't know the specifics but ever since then he banned everyone except the caretakers from here. It is beautiful, right and extremely peaceful, so I sneak in for a few moments. Why are you here?"

"The Otokage was showing me around and he brought me here last then he left." A look flittered over Ino's face, her brows knitted together and her lips pressed together. Sakura could not help to think that Ino was… jealous?

"Well… I have to be getting back; I just stopped out here for a few seconds. Take care Sakura-chan." She found herself alone again; save for the eyes of the guards Sakura took a seat on one of the four benches and continued to watch the streaming water as long as the sunset lasted. To think that she had gone without any food since breakfast was amazing; she regretted that and learned from it. She could not be so stubborn as to go without meals, shelter, food and clothes; she did not have to accept everything, just the essentials.

She recalled Sasuke's words: _…This is your home now, after all._

Sakura had no hopes of rescue or means of escape. Sullenly she headed up the stairs with her guard following her just two steps behind. She was almost down the hall when she spotted the two men who had escorted her to Otogakure just yesterday. The two men seemed to be engaged in a sort of conversation. She slowed her paces and watched them for a second; a chill ran up her spine when he turned steely eyes in her direction.

Sakura froze when he grinned at her. Suddenly three men and a woman approached them and he turned away from her briefly, she used that time to escape. She hurried down the hall a little faster towards the tall ivory doors of the room she had been given. She shut the guard out and leaned against the door.

She did not think she would see him again, but then that was a foolish thought of course she would have too see him again he lived in Otogakure, he was a warrior of Sound. The knock on the door forced her heart to leap unpleasantly. She whirled around and stepped back away from the door, hands shaking.

The knock came again and Sakura squeezed her eyes shut as if she were willing him away. "Sakura-sama…? Your bath water is ready." Sakura opened her eyes, went to the doors and pulled it open. The women from earlier had the buckets of water in their hands. They smiled at her and waited for her to step aside. Sakura turned and watched them enter the bathroom with little shuffles. Sakura turned to close the door and met with a nasty surprise that forced her heart to slam against her chest.

He was standing in front of her with a wicked smile. A deep feeling of dread came over her. He leaned against the frame and smiled at her, she looked at the guard and he shook his head gesturing towards his face and she looked back at him and his smile widen. "Hello, girl…"

Sakura felt her breaths coming in quicker and shorter, his eyes were piercing as if he were seeing into her soul with a single glance, making her feel naked in his presence. She hardened her stare; she would not let him have the pleasure of knowing that he intimidated her. His smile only grew and he dared to touch her, she stepped out of his reach in a well time skip and he lowered his hand, leaning away from the frame.

"So the Otokage gave you this room did he… interesting, you must be something rather special, for him to offer up this room. Yeah, as I remember it this room is sacred, almost like a shine to that ruthless snake. Just you wait… you're going to regret coming here." He sniggered. Someone down the hall was calling his name and he gave a mock bow before stepping back, eyes on her until he was out the door.

Sakura quickly crossed her arms over her chest, clinging to the ring Neji had given her, it was all she had that made her feel safe, after a while the women came out and helped her out of her kimono once the door was closed. When Sakura was alone and soaking in the bath she thought what it must be like for Neji… no hope of escape. She was her own bargining chip and she did not know another way to appeal to the Otokage's sense of sympathy.

She did not realize how much she would miss her freedom until it was gone. After getting out of the tub, she went into the bedroom to find a silver tray of delectable dinner and wine and a new nightgown. The sleeves were sheer, the bodice was a silk square cut across the chest trimmed with gold stitching and the skirt was soft cotton. It was so beautiful. The skirt reached her ankles and was so pleasant against her skin.

Sakura had nice things before, but never this nice. She set into the meal, taking more pleasure out of it when eating alone rather then in the presence of her captor. Sakura was determined to hate everyone here, daring to hope Ino would be a friend to her was folly the woman seemed determined to avoid her as best she could.

Sakura set aside the tray and burrowed under covers, back to the window, her face to the door. She did not know how well she would sleep after seeing that man; she was afraid he would come back and that guard would not hinder his pass. Sakura tried to sleep light, that way she would be quick to react if something was afoot.

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**A/N: I know this chapter was a little borning but tell me what you thought anyway. It makes me happy to know that people read my stories and even happier to know that they liked it. So leave a review because every opinion matters. Not only do I writie for myself, but my readers also. So thank you again for thirty-six reviews in one chapter.**


	3. Otogakure no Ojisama

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property and creation of Kishimoto Masashi. I own none of the characters or the places mentioned in this story.

Acknowledgements and Thank you's:

Quiet Screams: Well thank you very much.**  
Aiyo Rei  
silverymoonfire  
Meira Evenstar  
Animequeen100**: I'm not telling… You'll just have to wait a little longer, I'm deliberately not saying.**  
Akatsuki no Suzaku**: Nope, this story was suggested for another fandom, I just applied the challenge to the Naruto fandom.**  
SilverTwilightEmpress**: That's strange, because I can't convert all the way. I'll die loving Sasuke for Sakura, because whenever I start to read a SakuNeji story, I end up rooting for Sasuke if he's contending for Sakura's heart in the story of Neji and Sakura, even if they make Sasuke the total bad guy.**  
Mehyper**: You'll have to wait a little longer before I tell.**  
animeaddict99**: Sasuke and Sakura, Neji won't even really have any part in this story, he's just a reference to her past**  
angel2559  
Spread-My-Wingz-And-Soar  
DarkAngelRakell  
Catinthehat007**: Brutally honest, but it made me laugh, so I don't mind.  
**angelmomo211  
BlackMagicSorceress  
Elegant Destruction  
super panda**: No, but maybe a little reference here and there.**  
Laura-chan**: After writing for so long now I'm getting a little lazy… I'm not even going to bother anymore, which means I'll have to take longer to update, just so I don't miss anything, I hate going back and forth in my documents, because I have the most ridiculous OCD going on. Argh!**  
cassandra  
BlueSkyHeaven**: Thankie!  
**kakura sagami**: That's for me to know and for you to find out…**  
NorthernLights25  
say sakura**: Its still a secret!**  
Shy Faery89**: Shy you're just the person to always make me smile, that's why I love talking with you. No not hallucinating. I really am writing the very last chapter. And it's about time! LOL, I can't help that angst is my forte. Aw, I'm not that good. There are authors out there that make me wish I could write more like them. Oh no, don't shift your love from SasuSaku, there aren't many left. Of course I'm going to write those ones better besides, Neji really isn't in this story. I only wrote that because she had not yet met Sasuke, of course Sasuke is more beautiful, lol. Yeah, I really need to watch the document upload. Oh, if you kick yourself when I reveal who "that" man is... lol. I'm glad you didn't find it boring where others have. No, I don't think that, I think of you as one of my favorite reviewers! I hope you enjoyed Fade Away! There's still two (?) more chapters left. I do not lie, I delay… I miss talking to you too, I'm sorry I've been super busy with the wedding and my full -time job is draining me. I love having your support! (Looks outside window for Shy) No, I haven't received a PM regarding Fade Away.**  
Aikra-Chan**: That's so nice of you to say, thanks.**  
ViOlEt-KAt  
animeaddict19  
sakurastears  
Baby Acoustic  
Smartalec729  
Raefire**: Aw, you're sweet.**  
-'-DagerouslyWicked-'-**: You can guess if you want, but I won't be revealing it for a while.**  
GaaralovesMihoko  
Shorty6692**: I'm glad you liked both chapters and I hope I continue to do a good job, as for your question the answer is no, he is not.**  
Ori**: If you think you have missed me mention who the man is that sets Sakura's nerves on edge, I haven't and I plan on keeping him anonymous as long as possible.**  
autumnmarie**: Yes, there are several stories in the world I am in love with and thank you for the compliment, but I disagree there are writers out there on this site and published that are surely better than myself. Eh, several of my friends think I am insane, so we are in the same boat, lol. I hope this chapter was just as enjoyable as the last for you.**  
Strings of a Puppet**: I'm glad you like it, but, maybe my summary wasn't that impressive, happens sometimes or maybe you weren't online that day. I'm glad its easy to understand, my job is done, lol. Oh and by the way, I'm reading one of your stories and I don't know if I've reviewed it or not, but I like it very much.**  
Princess Of Drama**: Glad you like it enough to put it in your favs. Makes me happy.**  
Line  
UnderTheSky-xxo**: First, I love your name, two, I was planning on making this a once a month update, but I've been super busy lately, wedding, full time job... things should start slowing down again soon, but I'm glad to know that you are enjoying the fic. I always love the princess and prince era... of ourse Sasuke isn't your typical prince.**  
Ella**: Now I know...**  
Sasuke0623**: Thank you for understanding, some people keep thinking its writers block and its not that at all. I'm glad you like not just one story but all the ones you've read.**  
toolazy too logg in**: I never forget any of my stories, they are my unruly children, lol. I'm just super busy at the moment.**  
Kelly**: Every story has their errors.**  
sweet-taboos**: I know how to update, thank you.**  
aznangel101  
Just**: No, I need the Chapters evened up, but no one understands, so my review numbers are screwed-up, but I don't care anymore, I'm hitting high marks, yeah, that's never happened before!  
**Choco**: Nope, doesn't work like that. I needed the chapter reviews even. But thanks for reviewing anyhow. 

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_She, like a caterpillar spinning its cocoon; he, like a spider weaving a web around its prey._

Blood painted the ceilings and the floors, the cabinets and windows like an artist gone awry with a brush and red lacquer. Two bodies lay prone on the floor, blood amalgamating around their still-warm bodies, their heartbeats diminished hours ago.

Red and black-pinwheel eyes lifted from the cadavers that lay on the ligneous floor and toward the small, dark-haired child writhing and screaming, tears falling from his eyes pressed tightly shut and streaking his pale skin, trapped within _his _dark prison world of blood and devouring shadows.

Baleful, unsympathetic eyes continued to observe the child cradling his head in his hands, head swinging back and forth in a silent denial. "Stop it! Brother! Don't show me this!" The child pleaded pathetically. His scream grew louder, fingers sliding into his hair, fisting black locks in a painfully tight grip, "Stop, big brother, Neii-san, don't… Otousan, Okaasan!"

He stood perfectly still, it had been only days ago he had begun to understand this certain kind of power. Uchiha Itachi stood still as a stone, watching the small boy, holding him with his gaze and would not relinquish him- as if with that single glance he could capture souls. He chose to let his foolish little brother go then.

First one knee then the other and still cradling his head, he doubled over. Red as heart's blood eyes faded back to black. A warm trail of blood flowed down to the tips of white, trembling fingers; the boy took one shuddering, shallow breath after another. Watching the bright blood, he slowly turned dazed eyes towards the one who deeply betrayed him.

"Wake up." Sasuke started awake to find a woman leaning over him, one hand on his shoulder, shaking him slowly. The Otogakage raised himself on one elbow and saw it was dawn. He looked back at the woman with tousled, crimson hair, leaning over him and gazing down at him with troubled ruby red eyes. His brows furrowing at the sight of her naked body with only the curtain of her hair and the duvet cover concealing her state of undress. "You were shouting in your sleep, Sasuke-dono."

He looked at her blankly. "Was I…" His voice held no emotion as she pressed her hand on his arm, a tentative gesture of comfort. Her long red hair swept over one bare shoulder as she bent over him, soft tresses tickling muscles of his chest. "Why are you still here, Karin?" His voice now tinged with an unpleasant note he continued to observe her nudity.

Karin- the woman he had shared his bed with- looked offended. She pulled up the bed sheets around her breasts and attempted an assortment of excuses. Faint sounds intruded on his thoughts- familiar sounds that should have blended into his consciousness unheeded. He pulled away from her and slid out of the bed, reaching for his pants.

Sasuke walked away from the bed and across the room. He leaned against the frame of the sunlit window and blew out a long sigh. He looked down below at the gardens that were visible from his windows as well. He scanned the garden as the bed sheets rustled weakly from the mattress and then the sound of bare feet against the cold sandstone floor moving in his direction echoed through the silent bedchamber.

Karin twined her arms around his torso, her arms secured under his as she pressed her front to his back as a means to keep the bed sheet around her petite body. "Sasuke-dono, the dreams… they've gotten worse." It was true, the horror of the dream, his past, still polluted his mind, increasing every night since that ill-fated day. Karin kissed the fevered skin of his shoulder; he seemed not to take notice.

Sasuke stared emotionlessly out the window until his eye caught the movement down below. He did not need a spyglass to know that it was Sakura heading towards his mother's fountain. Her long strawberry blond hair was easy to identify her from this distance, contrasting with the white satin of her dress.

He watched her sit down gracefully on the stone bench, her hair cascading over her shoulder as she outstretched her arm toward the tricking water from the spigots. She fascinated him and he had no idea why, aside from the obvious. She was exquisite, and so exquisitely different from Otogakure women, with her fragile bones and her river of strawberry blond locks and her skin golden-rose, favored by the sun.

She sat serene amid the lush greens and pale pink petals from the trees of her namesake. He never knew what she was thinking, her attentive, clever mind always working, cold intellect reflected in those perfect eyes. She drew him in like a moth to the flame.

Her voice was always soft, even when she was angry. Her body tucked small and neat on the bench, was a body to dance in, she was more beautiful than any woman had ever been- and there had been other women. Karin was just one of a few. He had gone to Karin intent on expelling the insane excitement Sakura awoke in him with her ways but the experience seemed only to leave him feeling repulsive and unclean.

Damn the Battle Commander for making _her_ his wife, she was a woman worth the honoring, a prize fit for the offering, it was the reason he took the noble sacrifice of her freedom, it was such a delicious proposal how could he not accept it? She was like an exotic creature that he caged simply for his viewing pleasure. From this distance, he could not see her properly, but he could not take his eyes off her either.

She was an enigma, a mystery, what she had done had captivated him far more than her shining beauty ever could. Her words, the words she did not speak, her silent anger, her absolute defiance were all but a few things in which made her an interesting woman. He wanted to simply sit near her and speak to her in hopes of hearing her speak and inhale her floral scent.

She was a distraction.

She was his green-eyed temptress.

He disentangled from Karin's arms and with a lingering glance upon his caged beauty; he turned to the woman who refused to leave his side. "Get out," he said quietly, a dark glint in his eyes, he wanted her out of his room, he never wanted to feel her touch again. He remained expressionless even when she shook her head.

"No! I'm worried about you Sasuke-dono; I want to help you-"

His mouth quirked in a teasing smile, he had no regard for her concerns, for his troubles and conflicts were not meant to be shared with anyone, his strife was not meant to be seen by another soul. "You know the location of the door? Good. Use it."

"But…"

"I'd rather not have to throw you out." He said with a lazy roll of the shoulders, before sweeping his hand through his dark hair. "Get dressed and return to your own chambers." Her eyes widened then narrowed, she tossed back her hands and shoulders, and let the sheets crumple to the floor displaying her slim, hippy and completely nude figure. He watched her with little interest and she whirled around, her hair slapping his face. He turned his head a little at the cutting slash.

She reached for the gown she wore last night and pulled it on like a child throwing a tantrum. Without looking back once she wrenched open the door and slammed it shut behind her. Sasuke blew out another long sigh he did not need this from Karin, not today. Frustrated and exhausting from his relentless dreams he turned back towards the window. Sakura sat there still, hunched over a little with her hands now in her lap.

He was angry with himself; he should know better that in times of war his mind should be clear of all distractions. His father had taught him that. Pride and anger had sustained Sasuke through all the years he spent alone. He was utterly alone, surrounded by a million people he was still alone.

In his dreams, there was constant reminder of his failure to protect those dearest to him. His mother… his beautiful, kindhearted mother with her reassuring smiles and his father, a proud, strong man who taught Sasuke all he knew when he had time. Sasuke frowned; eyes still on Sakura… his father had died before Sasuke could make him proud.

Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly. Sasuke regretted that most of all… with his mother he did not have to strive so hard for her approval. Lifting dark silken lashes, he watched the woman below, slowly bringing his hand to the window as if he could capture her image… reluctantly he turned from the window and went to dress for the day.

He had matters to attend to, important matters that should keep him focused on the events at hand. He left his chambers and made his track down to the antechamber of the war room. The hallways were still dark, lit only by the flickering glow of flames from the torches. The morning held promise, so much but he found himself interested in other things then the gathering at hand or the upcoming battle of the day.

He stilled when he reached the door that led to the war room. Sasuke knew he should go in, pore over maps and plans and the lot that came with war and readying for each new battle. It was part of his job as Prince of Otogakure to show himself.

Normally a sick sense of excitement rose up in his chest at the thought of a battle; killing was a simple enough task. It was so easy. Quick, clean, relatively little risk to a capable fighter- especially one whom his fellow warriors were determined to preserve at the cost of their lives. Sasuke was not important to these people; the Prince of Otogakure was who mattered, the title, not the person.

Sasuke saw how they looked at him, some reverence, mostly fear. He was nobody and everybody to them, what a contradiction. In that, he went in. His generals awaiting him, maps littering the table top, chairs pushed aside. Suppressing a sigh, he greeted the men with a signature 'hn'.

They kept their eyes on him as he came around the table and took his place by his two top generals, the one on his right a man who practically raised him after the massacre of his esteem Clan. Sasuke took a sweeping glance over the map and the pieces that served as his army and the enemy's. He looked at the army that served as Konohagakure, studied the little figures hard… his eyes narrowing with intensity.

By noon he had reports and gone over every possible strategy. Unlike other Kage's, Sasuke's battle plans did not require much feedback from other soldiers in his ranks. His father and… another… had taught him the fundamentals of everything he would need to know in time of war.

The Uchiha Clan was skilled in means of military defense and offense; it was extremely rare for Sasuke to seek the opinion of another and even rarer for his soldiers to doubt his methods. There was an exchange of ideas here and there, but overall they abided to his tactics.

He hated to explain himself. He was a firm believer that those smart enough to understand his orders would outlive those who did not longer on the battleground. After hours of debating with general officers on whether to sneak into Konohagakure or march in as if he owned the place- the victory of the last battle argued the direct approach- Sasuke was still weighing probabilities after dismissing his men.

He must decide soon… now.

If only his mind was not distracted. He worried the problem and his lower lip until both were raw. Slink in by night and slit throats? Surge over the hills and slaughter them in open battle? Be bold or be stealthy? Challenge them or trick them?

As he wobbled between various plans, fighting them out in his mind he found that he was still anxious to meet the Hokage's Battle Commander of Konohagakure on the field again, after all he had some choice words for the man pertaining to his willing captive. Speaking of the woman who frequently stole his attention, he might as well go and pay her a visit.

"Sasuke-kun…!" He stopped, grimacing at the shrill voice coming from behind. He would much rather hear the sweet, soft voice of Sakura speaking his name instead of Ino, who clung to his arm as if she could fuse herself to him.

"Yamanaka-san," She pouted at the honorific, chiding him playfully as she expressed her wish for him to call her by her first name and that he needn't be so formal with her having grown up together. Sasuke blamed it on his upbringing and she just giggled. "Excuse me Ino; I was on my way to the gardens." That removed her quickly from his person. He watched as she fidgeted with the skirts of her dress.

"Um… I got that dress you asked for Uchiha-dono… is- is it for Haruno-san?"

"Haruno…?"

"The girl…" she tripped over her tongue, looking for the right words and description, "your… with pink hair?" she rolled a lock of her own blond hair in her fingers, tugging lightly as she darted her eyes around, anywhere but on him. She was never as shy around him as she seemed to be now, it made him quirk an elegant brow- not at her actions- but what she just revealed to him then.

"Oh," he said with a slight chuckle. "Aa, will you set it out for her this afternoon? I'd like for her to wear it when she joins me for lunch."

So her name was Haruno Sakura, was it?

He like it, it suited her. She was very much a reminiscent of a field of spring cherry blossom. A slight smirk twitched his upper lip at his new bit of information. He left Ino standing there with that request and went on his way. He hoped she was still in the gardens; he wanted to spend more time with her before he went off to fight.

Sakura was everything he never knew he wanted. His mind went to thoughts of her when he indulged his body wants in Karin that morning. Sasuke had concentrated on Karin's caresses, shaping the woman above him into another. A woman with gold-lit skin, sweet indefinable fragrance, lustrous pink hair, and huge dark green eyes guileless like a child's one instant and as cunning as a wolf's the next.

Oh, how he wanted to part Sakura's thighs and sink into her. He could feel it now; her body under his, her dainty mouth parted on sighs, whimpers, moans, his name panted softly from her… sounds that made him aware of his slip of control. Oh, how he wanted her body joined to his. He wanted that now, so painfully.

The afternoon beckoned him toward the hallway windows as he strode resolutely to the gardens. He passed the guard and walked into the garden. There were horticulturists around pruning the roses, redesigning flowerbeds, or coaxing shy herbs to grow. Pride of ownership sang through him. Otogakure belonged to his family for generations.

Otogakure was his home.

Every stone of it, every tree and fountain and carpet and tapestry and tile and now so was the Battle Commander's wife. He stopped to look wistfully out in the gardens and there she was, bathed in the afternoon light wearing a lovely satin pearl white dress that complimented her greatly, exposing her shoulders unblemished by the effects of sun.

Sasuke made his way over to her pleasantly surprised to find her still here since the morning. She sat serene amid the gardens on the bench. Sasuke walked over to her stealthily and sat down next to her, his back to the fountain. He leaned back a little and turned his head to see her face more clearly. He was a bit perplexed to find her eyes screwed tightly shut, her fingers digging into the skirts of her dress. He gave her a quizzical look before asking, "What are you doing?"

"I'm wishing."

With his brow still arched in that curious expression he concluded, "Looks painful."

"I'm nearly done…" She parted her lips and then relaxed her face, lashes lifting to reveal the most beautiful pair of green eyes, more luminous than any emeralds. "There." Sasuke had to admit that she surprised him again; this was the most she spoke to him without persuasion. He was curious though and prompted.

"What did you wish for?" She turned her head and looked at him, appeared startled and then looked away, pretty mouth tightening.

"It won't come true if I say." Silly childhood sayings like that never appealed to Sasuke, he could not help but scoff.

"Tell me Haruno Sakura and I'll make sure it'll come true, anything you want… I'll give it to you, it's within my power." She laughed softly and he frowned, people laughed around him, but he never felt they were laughing at him. Was she laughing at him?

"I want nothing from you." He canted his head slightly, gave her indulgent smile, the kind one would offer a child. It was as if he did not believe her and somehow that made her angry. She frowned and he skittered his fingers over her bare forearm, she allowed the touch but gave him no reaction. Sasuke sighed admiring her delectable curves as she strode from the bench to the side of the fountain.

Sasuke stood, strolled around the perimeter of the fountain that held nostalgic memories for him. He spared another moment's admiration for the woman of immediate passions. Life with her would not be placid, but never would it be dull. "There's a new dress for you in your chambers you'll want to change for lunch, you'll be joining me again." Intense black met passionate green and she lowered her lashes.

"Is this one of those times when you require my presence?" He made an indifferent shrug and let her think what she liked. As he returned indoors, he reflected that someday she would ask something of him and he knew exactly what she desired. It was only when she asked for it would he wonder if he could really fulfill the wish. The only thing he was sure of was that if she were to ask for it now, he would have to refuse.

Sasuke sighed and bowed his head, he saw ghosts everywhere. They flittered through the halls smiling, laughing, reminding of what he once had long ago and then stolen just as quickly from him like a swift wind. It had been a lifetime ago. His Clan… his parents… they had given him the world in which he had exercised his share of the family cunning.

The peace they had established had lasted with minor lapses, they would probably be disappointed in him for the war now, but as he has told Sakura, it was a necessary war, one in which he would use to draw out that man who had betrayed him in the worst of ways. He tried thousands of times to forget the terrible crime against him, but he was a man possessed, he could never allow the monster that slaughtered his entire Clan to live when he stole countless of important lives.

Besides those smiling ghost that wafted through the halls in the days seen only by his eyes turned into faces that only appeared in the darkness. He would see the hollow yes of his kin hovering above him in his nightmares, hear the whispers of the truth, he was weak and he always would be… if he did not fuel his hate and become strong.

Sasuke closed his eyes, only the tightening of his fist turning his knuckles white betrayed the frustration he felt for not being able to stop that murderer… His eyes snapped open, he made a promise that day in the room where his slain parents laid… he would receive retribution for the crime commented against his Clan!

He abandoned memories that yielded no solutions. Sasuke liked solutions and in a way, this necessary war was his solution yet to concede any success. Nevertheless, his personal advisor and mentor incited other necessities would arise during and after. His advisor was also his top general, the one who had raised him after the slaughter of his Clan.

Speaking of the man, he had known as a boy, he was waiting idly by, leaning against the wall with those cunning yellow eyes and snake charmer's smile. He uncrossed his arms and pushed away from the wall. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, he hated the older man… but he needed him as well.

"Orochimaru…" Orochimaru had spoken words of encouragements and revealed tactics based on many similar strategic campaigns his father held many years ago during older wars. At times, he longed to tell Orochimaru exactly what he thought of him but he suspected that man would merely laugh that unnerving chuckle of his and he would have even more contempt for him than he did now.

He had not acquired his father's patience with others. The difficulties they presented were annoyances that his father had seen as creative opportunities. He had listened, considered, consulted, and suggested solutions agreeable to all. Sasuke's impulses were either to tell them to stop bothering him or to settle the whole thing himself with a single command.

Inwardly, Sasuke smiled. His mother would accuse him of being too direct- of not thinking things through- that he wanted to act too fast. She would be right. At times, he despaired being half the ruler his father had been then again, his father had more years of practice and Sasuke was still learning.

He remembered so little of what his father had done, trying to adapt his father's style and method. He was learning his father's techniques; eventually he would learn his patience as well.

Orochimaru wanted to talk of the upcoming battle, Sasuke wanted to avoid the whole conversation until after, he had gone over all this already in the war room with Orochimaru in attendance and he told the man with the sharp gold eyes so. "Ah, yes… it's just I've noticed Sasuke-kun, you've been a bit preoccupied lately."

Obsidian eyes narrowed in a flash of some powerful emotion and a corner of his mouth twitched downward. In his dark eyes now was the lethal fury that paralyzed its object, but never Orochimaru, he simply looked amused.

Sasuke seethed inwardly, but kept his calm composure. He said, "There's no need for you to worry Orochimaru… you'll have your battle and my military acumen about me." He paused, gold steady on black. "Are your qualms soothed or were there other things to discuss?"

In this Orochimaru merely smiled that derisive smirk. "Just leave your distractions here and off the battlefield." He turned and left, Sasuke watched him as he turned the corner, leaving him with that warning. Sasuke scoffed and entered the room where he shared his meals with Sakura. Orochimaru was using him and Sasuke was doing the same in turn.

After the food was set and he was alone in the room again, eyes staring out the window below watching the soldiers reading the door opened. He turned from the window and he looked to see her standing in the lead of her guard, she looked especially angry now. He said her name and she turned her livid green eyes on him. He repressed a smirk and she made her way to the table, as was the routine.

She came into the mindset that if she sat with him and indulged him with a few words he would dismiss her shortly after, but not today. He stepped in her way and she flashed those angry eyes up at him. He closed his eyes only for a second to shake his head. "What is it Lady of Konohagakure?" He ran appreciative eyes down her figure clothed in the silken gown of deep blues. "Do you not find the dress to your liking?"

"I despise everything in this land from the threads that made this dress to its ruling prince." The fire in her eyes was fascinating; she was still intriguing him with her outspoken brashness. The excitement that he usually felt when he was sinking his sword into the belly of an enemy was tightening his chest at the sight of Sakura.

"It's only been few days, give it time, you'll come to appreciate your new home." he dared to touch her for the second time today, but now he did so while she was angry. She jerked her head back as his finger slid down her cheek.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped baring her white, straight teeth at him. She suddenly reminded him of a wild horse and if he knew anything about horses it was that they could be broken, he could hardly wait to break her. He grinned, that sick grin that came when he slashed the throat of his next victim. He could see that alarm look in her eyes before she covered it with fury.

Her eyes enthralled him, they were deep and sharp as a faceted emerald, pure green with no hint of gray or brown and the eyes were bright and vivid like the eyes of a hunting cat. Knowledge that she was his intended prey brought a slight smile to his lips and a secret excitement to his heart.

How he envied her husband. Countless days with herby his side, rewarded with her kisses and loving embraces and the most Sasuke received was her stubbornness and hate.

Kami, he could not stand it! He wanted to kiss her until she forgot everything except him. "You're quite astonishing when you're furious, you know." He grinned again, looking like a lean, dark wolf. "You are the most impulsive woman I have ever met," he said with a smile, tilting her face up with one finger beneath her chin.

"Are you quite finished?" she snapped shaking her head to get away from his hand. He gave a curt laugh. "What is it that you want from me?" she demanded, looking as if she were ready to spit in his face, he wondered how his impulsions would react if she tried it, this was one of those times he wished he had mastered his fathers fortitude. He was quiet for a very long while, so long her eyes began to tear up from the frustration she must have obviously felt.

He had never really seen her cry from the moment she had entered his lands, only the moment she had finished shedding tears and that was only a few days ago. "One night," he said at last, very soft. "One night with you, that's all." One night, it would never be enough; he could already feel the weight of his words, the cold reality that she would never willingly give herself to him.

He was not suppose to feel this way, damn Orochimaru for being right. "Sakura, sit down, let's stop this now. We'll have lunch and then you may retire to your rooms." Her face held an odd look, an arrested expression, as if she had just realized what he meant by 'one night'.

He took her by the elbow and led her to the table and then stepped away from her and went to his chair across the table. Sasuke sat down and waited until she tucked the skirt of her dress close to her legs and sat down in her seat, wondering what brought on her anger.

All through the lunch, Sasuke hardly addressed another word to Sakura. He did however look, constantly. Sakura was too shell-shocked to complain or retort. Minutes passed, hours passed, before he spoke again. Sasuke closed his eyes and drowned down the rest of wine when there was a knock at the door. The meal was over and it was time for him to leave her. "One night… I'll take it later."

On the other hand, perhaps she only imagined it. After he left to ready his army and horses, Sakura pushed her fingers through her hair and hunched over her plate. The Prince of Otogakure had surprised her today. She was not necessarily angry with Sasuke, as she was that she had been here longer than she suspected she would be. Did Neji not know that she was missing? Did he not care? Was he readying a rescue party?

Thousands of questions alike to those plagued her mind. She could barely take the pressure of her situations and was threatening to break under the weight of it all. She thought Neji loved her; he said he did… she was sure he had said that, he had given her his father's ring, he had kissed her and promised to return for the necklace she wore bearing the ring that had been important to him.

It was only now that she was beginning to realize that Uchiha Sasuke might be right, she would have to learn to think of Otogakure as her home.

After days of keeping her tears in check in the presence of the others and even alone Sakura felt the first drop of liquid salt fall onto the back of her hand as she folded her arms across the tabletop and buried her face in the bend of her arms. "Neji…" she moaned sorrowfully. "I want to come home… please… oh please."

The door creaked opened softly, dark eyes witnessed her shaking form, and her soft mournful pleads, stepping in the room unnoticed by Sakura who was too lost in her grief.

* * *

A/N: And now its time for a little segment I call: Excuses!

Oh, man, oh, man. I am such a bad, awful person, I was suppose to update after the wedding, but then I got so caught up in the after events of the wedding and then returning to my full-time job and what with Halloween and being way too exhausted to do any kind of writing I just kept putting it off and even though I had the chapter all finished, I suddenly deemed it unsatisfactory and started from scratch… well… sort of. Anyway, now its really done and this should sate you LOYAL readers until next month… and hopefully, I'll be able to work trouble-free on Marionette.

I hope you found this chapter worth the wait or… I don't even want to think about the consequences.


	4. The Voice Of Deceit

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property and creation of Kishimoto Masashi. I own none of the characters or the places mentioned in this story.**

**Acknowledgements and Thank you's:**

**Silverwolf1212  
****lacusclien4  
****cassandra  
****BlueSkyHeaven**: Sometimes your busy and sometimes you just don't have the inspiration to write... sigh. I'm kind of forcing myself back into it. But thanks for understanding.  
**animequeen100**: I don't know, I always thought that once Sasuke hit a certain age he would become considerably wanton, even if not exclusively with Sakura. Yes, mine secrets are for me to know and my readers to find out, muhwahahaha!  
**angel2559**: I think details are needed to make the story are advancing, seeing is believing, right?  
**Princess of drama**: WHAT CAN I SAY, I LIKE MAKING PEOPLE WAIT!  
**Snickerdoodle-sensei**: Ugh, I can't wait till chapter seven, that's when this story will pick up, luckily its chapter four, so that means the wait goes on for two more chapters before I can write something not so... dragged out? But thanks, your review made me happy.  
**catinthehatt007**: Suspense... I try to make it suspenseful, I'm not always spot on, but hey. As long as your honest brutality doesn't bruise my ego, I should be okay.  
**reader713**: Sasuke knows nothing real about Sakura, she prefers it that way, anything Sasuke thinks he knows is an assumption, he'll find out more about her as the chapters progress... I feel like I'm promising this will be a long story, I feel dizzy.  
**Oyuki**: You never know, right, lol.  
**AMH 8D  
****Some Scribbles**: Thank you, I hope I don't disappoint.  
**frienz4ever  
****Laura-chan**: Not one inside the fic, that was my outside life. Its not only needing to stop and relax, its also needing to shut out the demanding voices, the voices can sometimes make my head feel like it is going to split open. I need quiet sometimes and no pressure. The word Update is not a review, its a nag.  
**silverymoonfire**: Good, I hope this one was worth it too.  
**Meira Evenstar**: You've been with me in every fic, haven't you? Please continue to support me, its like a relief.  
**animeaddict19**: Because I'm a liar. I should never make promises when my life is changing, not the same as when I was in school with no other worries, like jobs and friends and such. I prefer reality to fiction more times in comparisons.  
**Cheerry-Blossems  
****TopuchofPixieDust**: I wish I could pull away from that, but it was a challenge for another fandom and pairing and I just arranged it for SasuSaku, so its kind of following that B&B storyline.  
**KanohaKid**: I've stated this before, but Neji's role in this story is 99.9 less active than in my other stories. I'm obsessed with SasuSakuNeji pairings... he's almost as attractive as Sasuke himself.  
**kanna01  
****Storms-winter**: Thank you.  
**Sakura-Girl 2005  
****Shy Faery89**: I call them openings.  
**MaloryUchiha2007  
****MoogleX  
****Strings of a Puppet**: Don't lie, you are an awesome writer. I'm the one who's struggling. I read other people's stories and think, why can't I talk or write like that. It would make me so... anyways, I'm a SasuSaku lover, although nami86 is what keeps me believing that it could happen, well, because I need visuals and the last time Sasuke and Sakura were in the same panel was in the early chapters of Shippuuden... sigh... feel the torture with me.  
**NorthenLights25**: I don't think any of stories has ever ended as another pairing. I might kill someone... you never know, neither do I.  
**marion/Baby Acustic  
****ohemg33kellz  
****Asuraka**: Me, too! That and I think Neji is too die for... after Sasuke of course.  
**Raefire  
****Spread-My-Wingz-And-Soar**: Good, I need that to progress the story.  
**Mittelan  
****bobalina**: I eat beta's for breakfast. Sometimes I forget what I write and am too lazy to reread or it slips past my notice.  
**Fire Kitsune  
****JossyLlama**: I don't think so... maybe comforting while slipping them so dangerous pills? I think letting you know what something looks like is essential, so you can picture it too.  
**Puppet Kisu/sakuraxkisu  
****ViOlEt-KaT  
****fleeting thought  
****SitaJocko**: If you haven't read anything more perfect, I could make a few suggestions... honestly, this is D level compared to other fics out there.  
**missladylaura**: Today, doh!  
**SoccerChick2011**: It's okay, deep breaths.  
**Anonymous**: No, thank you.  
**M i M i xo**: It is SasuSaku.  
**FallenGirl-04**: Okay... I try not to abandon stories, but sometimes I need long extensive holidays.  
**ms.heartbroken  
****Chibi Strawberry Neko  
****ChocoMilk  
****Tenshihana- -Unyield Wish**:...um... I guess...  
**aznangel101  
****nandomo  
****cutecrazyice  
****TheBeastlyKunoichi**

* * *

_Now I find my self alone caught in a cage. Everyone with a friendly face, seems to hide some secret inside_.

Walking into the room, with the soles of black heeled boots hardly echoing through the room, the figure dressed mostly in black approached the sobbing girl. A hand reached forward and curled long, thin fingers around Sakura's shoulder, almost gently. She gasped and turned, her body recoiling to the unexpected contact. With tears streaming quickly down her cheeks, she took in the face before her, handsome and perfectly sculpted, narrow and longish with an alluring enigma that accompanied his sinuous and willowy body.

The dark eyes set against his handsome and fair face were like onyx stones reflecting the suns light, they were memorizing engendering a feeling that those eyes could see deep within her very soul with that conjecture she immediately thought of her enemy who had left her not too long since this man's sudden arrival. He rose his hand up from her shoulder, in a gesture that seemed to be motioning for her to wait. "Forgive me, I mean you no harm, it's only that I heard sobbing. Are you well?"

Sakura was short of breath, her heart hammering not only in her chest but in her ears too. His voice was soft, with a faint bass that could seduce even the most pretentious of maidens. She lifted her hand to her face and felt the tears there at her cheeks and she wiped at them as if they were dirt from the hearths. "I… I am fine… I would like to be left in peace if you please."

He looked down at her, arching a thin dark brow at her and she wiped her face a little more with the sleeve of her dress. The look she gave him after she lowered her hand was one of patience growing thin; she wanted him out of her sight immediately. He reached out his hand and took a few strands of her strawberry blond locks in-between his two main fingers, examining the extraordinary color; few women had hair of this shade. Sakura lifted her hand from her lap and placed it on this man's hand.

She could not understand why everyone here was so intent on touching her without her permission. She pushed his hand down and scooted back the chair she had been sitting in for some time now and rose to her feet, and still she had to tilt her head back to look up into his perfect imitation of the Otokage's eyes. "You won't leave? Then I will."

She made a move for the exit, but he sidestepped her so that he was back at her front, safeguarding her escape route. She frowned deeply up at him and he stared at her nonchalantly. She tried again to move around the tall and narrow figure of this man, but he blocked her path once more without a word. She resisted the urge to scream in frustration, it took all her willpower, it seemed the Otogakure just loved to play mind games, especially with her.

"You are blocking my path, please move." He quirked a brow and shrugged at her before looking over his shoulder at the exit behind them. He looked back at her with questioning eyes and she nodded as if she understood that he was asking if the door behind him was her 'blocked path'. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh that sounded much like defeat.

"Judging by your hair and your attitude, I assume you are Haruno Sakura, our Otokage's honored guest." Sakura head snapped back up and her eyes narrowed in such a way that it appeared as though she were squinting up at the man, the mere mention of 'honored guest' was enough to make her feel thoroughly insulted. He gave her a curious look and she folded her arms against her stomach.

"My name is Sakura, but no honored guest; I'm his prisoner, subjected to entertain the Otokage's every whim. My freedom is but a mere dream I had a lifetime ago."

"All for another man." the stranger injected and Sakura nodded, lifting her hand to her chest where the ring laid still tied around her neck. This man, whoever he was had no respect for personal boundaries as he lifted his hand to, to cover the large hand over her smaller one. She looked up into his eyes and they conveyed little emotion. "Your heart must ache for a reunion. My name is Sai, by the way."

Sakura parted her lips as if to reply, but she only flexed her fingers under his hand, shifted her hand out from under his and stepped back away from Sai, to put some distance between them. "Well, Sai, like I was saying I would much rather be alone right now, so I'll retire to my chambers."

"I am Sasuke's cousin, but I am considered adversary rather than blood, the same goes for him for me. I consider him my enemy rather than my master." Sakura looked at him curiously, masking the appalled reaction that lie beneath her façade. "It's a long story, but all the same the truth. So you don't have to be suspicious of my presence, I am not his spy."

"It is no concern of mine, whether you are his spy or otherwise, my wishes remain the same." She tried again, this time he let her walk past him and she headed for the door, already opened for her quick escape. Just as she was about to cross the threshold he called out to her with words that made her pause mid-step.

"Who knows how long he'll retain your company. I know my cousin fairly well and I can tell you that the whole land is talking of how they have never seen their Otokage so infatuated with a woman of another land, especially of enemy terrain. Wouldn't you like someone you can confide in who won't report your words to the man who holds your chain?"

Sakura kept her back to Sai and she lowered her head in qualm. She thought of Ino who looked upon Sasuke as a deity, worshipped him in a way a woman in love would worship the object of her affection. Would Ino betray her… there was hardly room in her heart for that kind of doubt. Ino, after all, was a citizen of Otogakure. Sakura turned around slowly and found herself toe-to-toe with Sai. "And you, if he views you as his enemy, why are you here in these lands?"

"The answer is simple of course… Sasuke always keeps his promises when concerning the Clan. A promise to make sure that no harm might befall on me as long as he had the means to prevent it." Sakura held out her hands slowly to Sai in gesture of trust and he looked down at her empty, open, palms. "I take it then that you accept my friendship?" Sakura nodded her head and then looked up at him with a solemn expression.

He slid his hands into hers, by means of acceptance and he smirked, in a way that reminded her of Sasuke. She never saw this day happening so quickly, that she would willingly befriend anyone she considered an enemy. She tugged her hands gently and Sai unclasped her hands allowing Sakura to back out. "Excuse me."

"Wait; please join me for a stroll." She shook her head and touched her palm to her cheek and he watched her, making no move to touch her again. She blinked her eyes a few times, feeling restless and he spoke to her, words that made her heart twist painfully. "If you don't want to be here forever, you should think of the means to escape…"

"Goodnight." She said to him, even with the yellow hue of the sun pouring in through the glass windows indicating that it was still the early hours of the day. He let her go without another word and she walked out where a guard was waiting patiently for her. Sakura looked at the sword at his hip and then towards the long corridor that lead down to the flight of stairs she would take to retire to her room for the remainder of the day.

The guard walked behind her, which had become routine for her, his heels and hers clicking against the stone of the floor. The air was cold just as it had been when she first entered these walls and it was so void of people that Sakura wondered about the court life. Konohagakure was so completely different from Otogakure.

She lived at the manor with Neji, but because of his rank and title, they were often at the palace even though their engagement was only a few weeks old. Life at the Hokage's residence bustled in every hall with loud chatter and laughing, there was always a commotion and filled with so much color. Here, everything was gray and serious, more than any place should be.

It was as if their was a constant rain cloud over this whole land, even outside, life seemed to be a fairy tale told to the children only and she couldn't even remember the last child she saw. The only place that seemed to hold any hint of life was the inner sanctum of the gardens. She could sit out there for long periods and actually feel some peace; it was the only place she could remember what it was like to be free…

She paused in her step, the guard behind her faltering in his own at her sudden standstill. He recovered his footing and looked at the profile of her face. Sakura could see at the other end of the hall a woman with long hair and strangely colored eyes that were identical in color with the petite woman's hair, a color that was neither black nor brown.

The woman was looking back at Sakura, dressed in a white bodice and gold embroidered vest with tan trousers and knee-high boots. She looked as though she preparing for a ride out in the woods, but Sakura found that hard to believe, anyone with enough sense would not be out for a ride whilst their country was at war. However, as the telling went, Otogakure women were nothing like Konohagakure women who did not take up arms in times of war as emissaries, women of Konohagakure trained in military combat as means to protect themselves and their loved ones if the occasion called for such means.

This woman's eyes were almost as piercing as Sasuke's or Sai's, but the look radiating from those strange eyes were of intense aversion, if Sakura wasn't who she was in this land she would find it rather odd for woman she never met and only now just crossed paths with to show such detestation in her eyes. Sakura could see how stiff the woman's body was, tense and supercilious.

Sakura watched her for a moment longer then began walking again. The guard followed close behind her as he did on many accounts since his Otokage assigned him to guard her way of passage. Sakura's gaze lifted to the woman one last time as she took the turn that led to her chambers. "You there," The woman called out brusquely, "Stop!" Sakura slowed to a halt and then turned her head to the left so that her peripheral vision took in the woman making her way towards Sakura.

Sakura waited until the woman was only a couple of feet behind her, her fingers digging into the skirt of the dress that caused her skin to itch. She was in no mood to talk, to anyone here, not even Ino after Sai convinced her that she might just relay every conversation the two had to the man she fawned over so gallingly. The other reason being that this dress was the last thing she wanted to wear and was rather impatient to tear it off as quickly as she could.

Sakura relaxed her fingers from their tight hold into the fabric of her skirts and she turned so that she could face the woman directly. "Are you addressing me?" Sakura wondered, adding a soft tone to her voice to make herself seem as though she were docile. The woman seemed to be observing her thoroughly with just her eyes as though with those eyes that reminded Sakura of the shine of wild animals could reveal not only her weakness, but her strengths as well.

"I just wanted to see the woman who came into enemy territory and lived to tell the tale. It's as though you came to our country during a war between our lands to live a new life of luxury." Sakura's mouth tightened as the woman looked her over again, from the bottom of her skirts to the top of her shoulders where the gown ceased height.

"I hardly call this a life of luxury when I must walk around with a keeper from one place to the other and with no rights to step outside the palace walls." Sakura tried her best to keep her composure and not turned her back on the woman and retreat to her rooms.

"Well, you do look fragile, maybe Sasuke-kun is afraid you'll break." Sakura closed her eyes and rolled her shoulders carelessly before opening her eyes again to see the woman's stern facial expression. "I'm not exactly sure what he wants with you anyhow, you're little more than a child."

"Perhaps," Sakura said, biting down against her teeth, "he grows tired of the women of his court." Sakura's patience was begging to wear thin with each word she exchanged with this strange woman. The woman bought her hand up and back and a loud, resounding thwack filled the air.

Sakura lifted her hand to her cheek and it stung with even the most tentative of touches. Sakura lifted her head with tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. She held her chin high even in the face of the livid woman. Her right cheek was now an angry red that would not heal easily, this woman had put all her strength behind the blow and somehow it was more than Sakura imagined any woman possessing.

The guard stared between the two women, just observing their childlike behavior before stepping in. "Karin-san, that's enough, any more visible damage to this woman and it'll be me who'll answer to Sasuke-dono." The woman, Karin, sniffed and shook her hand and wiped her fingers against her trousers as though she had touched something vile.

"Get this little bitch out of my sight before I do something far worse to her." Sakura narrowed her eyes at Karin, her hand curling into a tight fist. The guard stepped in front of Sakura and gestured with a quick lift of his chin. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and relaxed her fingers, allowing her hand to become just a regular hand once more.

"That was quite unladylike Karin-san." Karin and the guard spun around and Sakura's gaze followed the voice to see Sai approaching the three, a little smile tugged at the corner of Sakura's lips involuntarily. He looked to his left and then his right with just his eyes before he looked at Sakura, taking her in as though she was the only one standing there.

"I will not allow some child to talk down to me." Karin said as Sai walked closer to Sakura. He lifted his hand to her face and she flinched. He drew his hand back and shook his head slowly then tried again. This time she closed her eyes and let his fingers trace over the red hue that spread over her injured cheek.

"I suppose then you are ancient then, she's only in her twenties, more or less." Sai said in a stern voice as his fingers slid away from Sakura's cheek. "I'll escort Haruno-chan back to her chambers; you're dismissed for the day." Sai said without even a tiny glance at the guard as his hand slid behind Sakura's waist to turn her away from the two. Sakura followed his footing, looking back at Karin who stared at them.

"Sai-sama, I can-"

"Sure you can, don't worry, I'll vouch for your absence." He led Sakura away from the two and down the hall until they reached her quarters, without a word between the two from the journey to the destination. Sai opened the door to Sakura's room. He brought her over to the bed, sat her down, and stood over her, lifting her chin up and tilting her head back.

"I wonder what it is you said to receive such a nasty mark." Sakura closed her eyes as he turned from her and lifted the pitcher at her bedside table and the liquid poured into another container. She felt a damp cold cloth press against her cheek, she opened her eyes, and Sai smiled at her. "You're incorrigible."

"What makes you think I said anything?" Sakura asked, tears choking her voice. She lifted her hand and pressed it against the cloth. Sai shrugged and pulled his hand back and walked over to the window and stopped, letting his fingers trace the gilt frame behind the lace curtains.

"Karin finds pleasure in provoking others, but she herself can not handle a counterattack without reacting violently. Maybe it's her precipitous temper that entices my gallivanting cousin to keep her in his bed and perhaps as well as the reason to why she stuck you."

"How long were you watching?" He turned away from the window and back to her, her back facing him, her head turned a little so that she could see him from the corner of her eye and he got a good view of her profile He came back and stood in front of her.

"Well, I was around just long enough to hear you hint that our dear Karin, an exceptional warrior, an undesirable concubine." Sakura lowered her eyes; she could not help but feel ashamed that she let that woman push her to be so rude; it just was not in Sakura's nature to be so vocally criticizing. Sakura's upbringing was in a highly sophisticated family, not on the streets.

"I was wrong to say such things… it's not my place to find fault with a person I've never met before."

Sai looked down at her disconcerted features and lowered himself to the floor. He looked up to her face, then reached out and brushed some of her hair from her shoulder to the side, giving her a faint smile. "Well, it's not like she isn't, she's not his wife after all. Though I have to say, her visits to his quarters have lessened considerably since you joined our happy accommodation."

Sakura looked into his dark eyes then she watched that faint little smile curving his lips that did not fit his face correctly. "Are you saying he's looking for a wife in me?"

Sai shrugged his shoulders and rested his hands on the top of his thighs to push himself off the floor. He towered above her so that she had to lift her head and gaze to meet his eyes again. "I don't know what he's looking for or what he wants with you, if it had been me in his place… let's just say, my heart or whatever it was that motivated him to accepting your exchange of one life for another wouldn't be so easily swayed."

He said those words casually, the smile falling away, replaced with a stony expression. He turned his back on her and moved his way toward the door. Sakura's eyes widened an inch as if she came to an important conclusion. This man… everything about him… he revealed to her false truths of himself and hid behind a caring façade. Sakura tightened her hands around the skirt of her dress… feeling so foolish, she let him trick her.

"You're not my friend." He laughed. A sharp, short burst as he turned his back on her.

"You're right… you're my tool. I have uses for you; fate is on my side for the first time since they left me in this dismal country. The only sounds here are the ones of turmoil and pain." He reached the door and pulled it open. "But think on this, as long as you're beneficial to my needs, I'll always be there to get you out of any predicament. I would think that would be some kind of friendship." He looked back at her, his face still void of any expression.

"More like… more like a partnership I have to unwillingly go along with." She lifted her hand back to her cheek with the cloth, dabbing at the ache. He nodded at her, looking thoughtful for a moment before opening his mouth to speak again.

"Symbionts, yes, I think that is a better term." He stepped out and closed the door behind him, leaving Sakura to nurse her bruised cheek. Just as Sakura was placing the cloth down on the bedside table and untying the back of the dress she had been anxiously waiting to remove, the door opened. Sakura began to quickly lace the dress once more as Ino appeared in front of her, closing the door behind her.

In both arms, the blonde woman carefully balancing a tray filled with two plates of dessert and a glass pitcher filled with wine. "Are you hungry?" Ino asked, smiling as she walked over to the foot of the bed, setting the tray down. Sakura shook her head, explaining that she already ate with Otokage before his departure. Ino stared at her, looking over the dress. "You look really nice." Sakura smiled again and bowed her head. "Well, I'll just leave these blancmange her if you change your mind."

Sakura stood up and walked over to the door, pressed her back against it, looking at the woman that she no longer felt she could trust. "Ino-" Ino interrupted her by gasping loudly. She reached out and touched her sore cheek gingerly with light fingertips. Sakura winced and Ino gave out a sympathetic laugh, pulling her hand away and looking about her as if there was something more she could do for Sakura's bright red cheek. Her hands smoothed against her dress and into the hidden pockets of her skirt.

"Oh, what happened to your face Sakura-chan?" She asked pulling out a little phial of green glass closed off with a wooden cork. Removing the cork, she stuck her finger in the top and came away with some red salve on her fingers. Sakura closed one eye as she pressed the wet substance against her cheek. A cooling effect took place and Sakura winced again lightly while Ino worked it in until it was no longer any color to the ointment.

"I ran into a hand." Sakura embellished as Ino recapped the phial and tucked it back into the hidden pockets of her skirt. Ino looked at her with disbelief and then started to laugh. Sakura hated this; Ino was the only one she could really tell things. Without saying whatever she did not feel like saying. She did not feel like a prisoner with Ino, the way she did with the Otokage, Sai, or anyone else in this dreadful place.

"Well, you must have been running hard and the hand must have been like stone." Ino laughed and went over and picked up the cloth and dunked into the water as Sai had done earlier. She gestured for Sakura to sit back on the bed and she pressed the wet cloth to her cheek. "Just hold that there." Ino instructed, like the perfect physician.

"Well… I was actually standing perfectly still and… the hand was made of flesh and muscle… um… some woman with bright red hair with matching eyes." Ino's own eyes widen before she sat on the bed next to Sakura, smoothing out her skirt. Sakura laughed, noticing as she did that her cheek did not sting as much as it had moments before Ino applied the unguent. She pressed the cloth a little closer to her cheek and Ino looked outright amazed.

"You're telling me Karin… she slapped you, what did you do?"

"Nothing really, she started it, of course. Sai says she slapped me because I suggested that the Otokage might view the women here as tiresome…" Ino looked away then. "I didn't mean you… It is just… Sai says I was hinting that she graced his bed so much that she no longer held any interest to him. He practically said she was indeed his household whore."

Ino smiled wryly then looked back at Sakura. "You know women have come and gone from this place like the changing of the seasons, one after the other of women with flawless features and petite figures. I have known the Otokage since we were old enough to walk and yet not once has he looked at me with that glint in his eyes. I am not a woman of high stature, I clean and I offer my services. I wish and I hope that someday I might have the privilege to share his bed as this other women have, I would even be honored if he took me into his embrace for one night only."

Sakura looked aghast, how could anyone say something like that? "Don't you want to be loved Ino? Would you not rather someone wanting the privilege to kiss _you_? I know what I am saying Ino, listen, do you see this ring? I told you it belonged to the man who was to be my husband, he loves me and only me, he does not have other lovers in his bed nor does he take from me without offering his own contributions. Do you not want a man who wants to love only you? Its sad to view yourself worthy only if someone else views you worthy."

Ino laughed and held her hands to her heart. The laugh was long, but Sakura could hear the ache in it. This was not a joyous laugh; this laugh sounded wounded and lost to hope. "I want that from him and him alone. I guess this must be love, because it hurts so much, to hear the way his voice changes when I mention you, the way his face changes… Sasuke-sama changes when he talks about or even hears about you, Sakura-chan."

"Ino… he isn't in love with me and I am not in love with him. I love Neji-kun, right here." she pressed her free hand to her heart. "If he becomes a man you never thought you'd see when I'm the subject, it's only because…" Sakura tried to look for the right word that would not offend Ino of his name. "It's only because I'm different from the women around here. I come from a different country. It is like when you see peacocks with those bright vivid colors for so long and then one day, you see a white one, pure white like the snow. That is all I am to him. I'm a white peacock."

Ino laughed again, only this time there was humor behind it and she was laughing at Sakura. She was laughing so hard that her hands came up to cover her mouth as she bent over her knees from where she sat. Sakura turned her head. She was trying to make Ino feel better and in an ironic turnabout, she did indeed cheer her up. Sakura sighed and reached for the blancmange that Ino brought in with the wine on the tray. "I'm sorry, Sakura… it's just… you're a white peacock?"

"Metaphorically," Sakura said, as she took a bite of the dessert. "Anyway, you shouldn't be so desperate; I think men find it unappealing." Ino looked at her with a look of defense and Sakura shrugged her shoulders, she did not know the whole story between the Otokage and Ino and she really did not want to play some kind of guessing game about the relations between the important persons living in this realm.

"Look, you may have heard me say some things that sound desperate, but it's not like I say these things to Sasuke-sama."

"Maybe not, but there is body language and maybe you're just radiating a desperate persona." Ino looked mad for a second and Sakura found herself apologizing. Ino shrugged and sat up. "I really am sorry. I am just… sick… I am tired and sick of being here in a place I clearly do not belong. I'm a human, not a horse…"

"No, you're a white peacock."

"You're forgiving me." Ino nodded and sighed. "Thank you. I am not proud of myself for my manner. I suppose I deserved that slap." Sakura said, lifting her hand a little higher, clutching the cloth. Ino shook her head and Sakura quirked an eyebrow.

"Karin's a miserable wretch; the only person she thinks about is herself and how to get what she wants. I think she tricked Sasuke-sama into bedding her." Sakura shrugged, she found it hard to believe that Karin could continue to trick someone into his bed. If anything, the Otokage was willing, even if it was to satisfy his own personal needs. "Anyway, I have things to do around this place. I hope Sasuke-sama comes back unharmed."

Sakura watched Ino leave her room, quietly hoping something did happen to the Otokage, and then maybe she really could get away. Standing up and setting aside the empty dish Sakura went to the window seat and sat down. Drawing back the lace of the curtains she looked up at the sky, a flock of several birds of mostly white feathers soared across it, like white caps on a wide ocean. She thought how free they truly were, able to outstretch their wings, ascend from the ground that she found herself bound to and migrate anywhere they pleased.

She did not like the Otokage; this was her single thought of him as she pressed her fingers to the glass of the windows, her eyes reflecting her longing to be outside the walls that detained her from her homeland. She did this for love, sacrificing her freedom… she would never wonder if it was the right thing to do, but she did wonder if Neji would return the favor.

"I have your ring, Neji-kun… don't you want it? You said you would return for it, why aren't you here!" She slapped her hand against the window, bowing her head enough so that the loose strands of her hair fell against her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, pressing her upper lip securely against her bottom. She promised herself she would not cry and she had broken that promise, she would not break it again.

She had to be strong here where people were all dying to see her shatter in a thousand pieces of weakness. She lifted her hands to the side of her face and she shook her head as if it would bring her back to her strong, self-assured, fierce and willing-to-fight persona. She found her hand sliding down the span of her throat and pressing against the solid, cool metal of the ring. "You promised," she whispered to herself.

Sakura squeezed the ring until it formed a circular indentation on her the surface of her palm, releasing the ring she inhaled deeply as it bumped back against her chest. She stood up and walked away from the window after closing the lace back around the frame. She stood in the center of the room and peeled off the dress after working the laces that held it taut to her body.

When she stood in nothing but her slip she reached for the dress, bundled it into her arms and carried it to the bed. She lifted the extra duvets and placed them on the bed so that she could open the Hepplewhite cedar chest. She stuffed the dress in carelessly and shut the top, replacing the duvets covers before walking around the bed, towards the side of the mattress to turn down the blankets.

Climbing onto the plush cushion, she drew the covers back onto her, up to her nose as though trying to hide away from the world. She no longer wanted this deal; she wished she could have found another way to give Neji his freedom. What was the point of all this, why her? Sai made her think back on his words… what was the Otokage thinking he would gain in making this bargain with her anyhow?

It could not be that he wished for a spouse, he already assumed her married and she bit her tongue every time, not wanting to correct him that Neji was only her betrothed, it was not any of his concern anyhow. _I do not care whom it is anymore_, Sakura thought to herself, _just someone… anyone… take me far from this place. I would give anything to go home…_ she thought of her mother and father then, anyone who might miss her these past few days far from her home. Where was anyone who cared, could they all do nothing but weep, or did they forget they had a daughter… a niece… a lover?

Sakura closed her eyes and let sleep claim her, she need not leave the sanctuary of this room, the Otokage was gone, she needn't find herself required to play dress-up or entertain the whims of a man she did not care for in any way. She felt her hope diminishing in her heart like a fire without kindling. Clutching the ring in her restless sleep, she was beginning to doubt Neji's promise; her dreams only filled with abandon.

In this world filled of deceptive inhabitants, who would be the one to rescue her from the hell of Otogakure? Who would break her verbal commitment with the Otokage? This could not be her fate… this could not forever be her home. She would not allow it!

* * *

**A/N: So, I've bet you've all been wondering where I've been. Well, all that matters is that I'm back, right? Right! I've missed you guys, but even more I've missed writing, so maybe you've noticed I've updated Marionette, well, I had to force myself to get back into it… I was getting lonely, you know. **

**So a lot has changed while I've been away, for instance… I have a new job and a new object of my affections and in saying such… my muse has come back to me with open arms and forgiveness… Don't tell her, but I don't know what I did wrong, please note that my muse is not a real physical being. I just know my muse is female.**

**I have accepted Within Temptation, because I was a fan of Nightwish only, but listen to See Who I Am and you try too to not crossover, ha! Skillet has one amazing song… so my muse is twice as strong as she was before, luckily I don't have to picture her with man muscles… yuck!**

**Furthermore, I bet you're all happy I finally updated this, and no worries, I won't be starting any new projects until Threads of Desire or TOD as I've dubbed it, is complete… I don't know how long that will be is the only downside, I have so many wonderful ideas that I've already started on… wah!**

**Anyways. I hope you guys enjoyed the story and I've decided that I hate proof reading, but I'll decline Beta's because I want to surprise everyone, I even occasionally surprise myself, but still going back and correcting any mistakes is tedious… and I tend to wander off when the times comes… I can't listen to music or play my video games or watch TV, my focus has to be strictly on rereading or else I won't work on the editing and you guys won't see another chapter. I've gotten so bad.**

**Last, but not least… if I've forgotten anyone is the ****Acknowledgements and Thank you's it's because you didn't put your review in the chapter preceding this one, sorry.**


	5. Red Swathe

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property and creation of Kishimoto Masashi. I own none of the characters or the places mentioned in this story.**

**Acknowledgements and Thank you's:**

**XxIcyAngelxx**: Well, you know what they say, the more unattainable, the more attractive. Anyway, I wanted to keep in character as much as possible, though completely AU. I'm not fond of Karin myself.  
**candyluver**: Sakura's a lady… and then there was kind of some interference, so she couldn't really retaliate. Yeah, let's bash Karin some more, muhahaha!  
**Anne Summers**: Yeah everyone says that. I want to be as original as possible, there's no need for the whole Beauty and the Beast montage in fact I could separate the idea from people's thoughts, but I guess I can't so I'll work it to my advantage as much as possible, after all that's what a writer does. I'm glad you're enjoying.  
**hyuuga-tenten**: Glad you like it.  
**Princess of drama**: Eh, I don't really like Sai, I just feel I should include characters as much as possible. Anyways… how do you accidentally kiss someone? There has to be some intent in there somewhere. I wonder why Sasuke just didn't dodge when Naruto came slipping toward him?  
**Laura-chan**: Yay! I'm so glad I was missed, I was beginning to think FF forgot about my existence. No Sasuke, I'm trying to focus on them as a pair and show how they are as well, without one another. Glad you liked the interaction between Sakura and Karin. I'm trying to widen my range as well, even though it has to be an accident lately. I just heard a few weeks ago an amazing song by Soasin, You're Not Alone, its just so SasuSaku! There was no way I liked Anette Olzon when I first bought the latest CD in '07, I was even skeptical about buying it, but then I listened to it more and more and eventually came to like her, I still adore Tarja before Anette, but its because Tuomas lyrics it really doesn't matter who sings them because they still capture Tuomas concept which I am fond of. I envy you, there is nothing I want more than to attend a Nightwish concert, I'm even into the idea of dressing up gothic just to blend in, lol! I just hope they didn't sing any songs that were Tara's (as in made for her to sing, I would hate to hear Anette sing Nemo.) I'm glad someone gets it. Makes me want to quit writing too.  
**pink-strawberries**: Thanks, ooh, is there cake? I'm glad you liked it, gasp, there is cake!  
**cutecrazyice**: You just go ahead, I'll even get you brass knuckles so you can punch her next. Don't worry, they'll be coming soon.  
**Jellybean89  
Twinnet**: I think that was the point, you're not suppose to know who it was that was closing in on Sakura.  
**TheBeastlyKunoichi**: I'm glad you liked the chapter and after all, what is Sakura if not a little rebellious? Sai is wrong for using Sakura to his own means, but then all's fair in love and war. Sakura is a lady, she's much more mature then Sakura, that and she did receive some interference, because Sakura certainly did want to dish back what Karin served. However since this story is AU, Sakura really can't give her a full potential beat down, but she can get her revenge in another way.  
**Meira Evenstar  
Spread-My-Wingz-And-Soar**: I feel that the way you said that, you didn't really approve of Sai's appearance in the story. Well, I'll try to make it better. Glad you liked the chapter though.  
**tabemono604  
Smos**: I hope I'm doing history proud, I doubt it.  
**GemmaStone/Gone Fishing**: There are definitely stories out there on FF better than mine, I could give you some recommendations.  
**NarutoFreakxD**: Well, I'm glad it has that impression, must've meant that I've done my job. I'll continue to write it if you continue to read it.  
**lilsasuke luver  
Raefire**: Just so you know, Neji will not make any appearance in this fic, there will be flashbacks that involve him or just passing words. I have tortured him enough in past fics and I think he deserves a break. Other than that, I'm glad you're hooked.  
**angel2559**: Nope, I read every review even the one I think of those who's first language isn't English, that makes it hard to read, but I try to decipher as best as possible and reply. I'm like Ringo Starr that way. My reader's take the time to respond to my work and so I will respond to each and everyone of them with something legit to say. Update isn't a response to my writing, so  
I don't reply to those. But I'm glad that the story meets your expectation of my skills.  
**aznangel101  
yeah.i'm.me**: Not sure what you mean by good language, but thanks about the good storyline.  
**Nikki-4**: Thanks, that means a lot.  
**HitsugayaLuver8  
keiko-uchiha  
inu-baby girl**: You'd be right, no Neji in this fic, only mentions and flashbacks.  
**Tenshihana- -Unyield Wish**: Wait, don't be so dumb as to think Sasuke wants her to be his wife or don't be so dumb as in duh Sasuke would want to marry her? I'm confused.  
**KibasDogGirl xox**: Wow, really, obsessed? Does that mean you'll review every upcoming chapter? Lol.  
**AnimeMangaFreak**: Well, yeah I'll stick to SasuSaku, they're my mega pairing, my OTP!  
**Rene2**: It kind of strays from the typical fairytale. But I'm glad you're a fan of some kind.  
**ApplelovesApple**: Me too, I should join 'I hate KarinxSasuke/I hate just Karin' FC!

* * *

_The true warrior gives his sword a drink of blood every day and the warrior warms it in the ice of his resentment. The authentic warrior sharpens his sword and whistles a melody of vengeances to it._

Numerous black birds circled perpetually in the soft gray blue colored sky high above the crowded battlegrounds below. The sounds of the fighting within the terrain seemed to be reaching a crescendo. Steel-clangor of swords against swords and on shields rang out and voices filled any empty gaps in an incensed ballad of a powerful war song.

Amongst the living also lay the remains of the dead, littering the landscape like useless heaps of rotting debris for the voracious jackdaws to feast upon the decaying flesh. A sword slashed upward diagonally, blood lifted to the air, defying the heavens for a brief second before splattering back to the ground, following the heavy decent of the armor-clad figure.

Uchiha Sasuke stood with the blood of his opponents drizzled over his face and chest, slicking the tops of his hands. He narrowed his eyes and spun around. He slashed his sword in a wide sweep, blood cut through the air like a red swath, splattering over his body. Primal blood lust, murderous rage, a mindless need to kill filled him as sweet as an imaginary kiss from the mouth of a woman who refused him at every advance, so sweet and terrifying to any standing in his way.

He used every part of his body, vigilantly protecting himself from serious damage. He swung his sword fiercely in wide, defensive arcs. Weapons clashed and he looked up to see his opponent, a much taller man pushing down his sword over Sasuke's own. Sasuke found himself unimpressed by the man's height; he had a man in his own ranks of a much bigger capacity. The man spun to his left bringing his sword around at waist height forcing Sasuke to jump back in order to parry the blow.

Sasuke thought on the idea that if this man were his he would admit that his skills were acceptable, but since that was not the case Sasuke recognized only himself as the better adversary in this little mêlée. His muscles tensed and ached, but he shoved the man back hard enough so that he lost his balance and staggered to maintain his footing. Sasuke smirked and the giant growled and swung his sword in a wide sweep.

The man swung too high and a sharp, quick, lingering pain shot over his right brow. Sasuke screamed, a wordless howl bounding from his lips. Adrenaline surged, as his heartbeat became a deafening thundering pulse pounding within his ears. He stroked his sword outward with skillful, murderous intent.

His assailant stumbled back and with one mighty blow Sasuke's sword lifted the sword that injured him up and out of his hand. It skittered far off into the bloody, carcass-filled battlefield that surrounded them. Sasuke crowed in triumph. There was a warm, wet pain above his right eye. Blood welling up in his eyes clouded his vision in a red haze. He had to smear blood above his lashes before he could see, but that did not stop his fight. Sasuke raised his sword for a deathblow.

Sasuke grinned, an eerie, sickening grin he made in moments such as these. With one fell swoop, he cut open the man's throat and the blood splashed like water from a fount. Sasuke closed his eyes as it hit his face, painting the fringes of his hair, over his face, leaving only a few clean spots. The look on the dead man's face was memorable. Sasuke inhaled deeply as he looked over the corpse, wiping the blood from his eyes. He turned and swung his sword outward in front of him, looking for the next man who dared to point a sword at him in a vicious intent.

They came at him like the carnivorous birds to a rotting corpse, less challenging, but more tiresome then the last. Sasuke thrust his hand out, with his hand grasping painfully at the shoulder of masked opponents; he thrust the tip of his blade into the chest of his well-armored enemy. It stuck and he used the heel of his boot on the hip of the dying Konohagakure soldier to retract the bloody sword blade.

The body crumbled over, the sheer savage beauty of it intoxicated him and he targeted his next victim. This was his gift; it pleased him to kill Konohagakure warriors. They bled not only lifeblood as he cut them down, they bled fear as they died; wet blood painted his body and he was laughing. He did not care how many came at him; this battle was his from the moment he dismounted.

He nearly cried out in agonizing pain that radiated at his left shoulder blade, could feel the blood welling their and staining through his haori. The blade withdraw and he turned his head first, taking in the youth's face, gripping his sword handle harder, he spun around agilely and whipped his bloodstained steel against the exposed throat.

The body fell over, blood spurting over his chest and face as the figure descended onto the dirt ground, over several other bodies. Two men came at him; swords at the ready, Sasuke swung his sword out rapidly and took their heads clean off their shoulders. A sword lodged between his rib and his hip. He growled and worked around the obstruction, killing the one who dared to land a near-fatal strike. He stood over this man and kicked at his mask.

His head tilted back and he opened his mouth wide on an enraged, prolonged shout. Not this one or the others before him, their faces were unfamiliar and new, none of them with pale eyes and dark strands of straight deep brown, almost black. None of these men was the man he searched for, none of them his true adversaries. Lowering head he turned about, his eyes shifted wildly, searching rock and crowd.

"You puling, miserable coward, where are you? I have your wife, come claim her again if you can!" he challenged as his sword cut through countless multitudes of enemy soldiers, kicking off masks in vain. He spun and he slashed his way through the attackers, killing all in his way. He laughed and he snorted in disgust as more and more fell to his feet and their corpses littered the battlefield. He drove his blade into the opposing men, watching as they fell to his feet.

His anger was growing. The Battle Commander's wife was braver than he was, the irony of it was simply too much. Sasuke squared off with another man, he stood there, eyes cold and hard, the youth before him was something else, eager, determined. In his eyes, he saw what no other man he faced contained in theirs, the belief that he would vanquish the Otogakage. His hair was short and to keep it from falling into his eyes he wore a band around his forehead. He had two sharp-ended marks painted on either side of his cheeks. His eyes were almost wild with the thought of besting Uchiha Sasuke.

"Yahoo!" he cried out rushing towards Sasuke. Their swords clashed and Sasuke held his sword hand up above his head while the youth tried to bear down his blade. He looked positively infuriated. Sasuke smirked and whirled his body around, forcing the boy of his weapon and stumbling back, tripping over a corpse to the ground below, hand slipping in a puddle of blood. Glaring, Sasuke advanced on him, slashing the air ferociously with his sword a few times before he pointed the tip at the sword at the boy's chin.

He stroked his arm back with the sword and the boy lunged at him. The first slash came from Sasuke's top left. He blocked it effortlessly enough, the boy then slashed the second strike upwards and Sasuke blocked it once again. The boy then thrust his blade forward, sliding it against Sasuke's sword. Together they pushed on each other's swords. The boy pushed hard quickly, knocking away Sasuke's blade, opening a position to stab him in the stomach. He thrust at Sasuke, who moved to his right just in time.

Sasuke grinned. "Almost… but there is no _almost_ in war," Sasuke swung his sword and slashed at the boy's right arm, drawing the blade quickly down against the skin. Blood trickled out rapidly and the boy winced, dropping his sword. It would be his last mistake. Sasuke slashed at the other arm and the boy crossed his arms over his chest, palming his wounds, blood coating the skin. "Before I kill you… I would like you to answer a question of mine. Where is he?"

The boy glared up at him with sharp, almost canine-like eyes. "The Hokage will avenge all his fallen warriors. You need only wait!" He spat at Sasuke, hitting the top of his boot. Sasuke looked up from the spittle on his boot top to the boy. Sasuke kicked him roughly on the shoulder where his hand covered the wound and he fell flat on his back over the dead body behind him. He lifted his shoulder and stabbed the blade through the boy's hand and deep into his shoulder.

"I don't care about your Hokage… I do not care about his retribution… I want to know the whereabouts of his Battle Commander. Is he even in these ranks or is he afraid of me? Tell me his dear wife did not renounce her freedom in his name fruitlessly. I would hate to give a woman such tragic tidings." He would hate to see tears in those bright green eyes… he feared the fire might go out in her if she learned that her husband was not coming to rescue her ineffectively.

"He's here." The boy tried not to cry out as blood seeped over him like a flood. "He-He's leading the brigade." Sasuke looked up into the swarm of black and silver clad soldiers engaged in a bitter, gruesome battle, dying each for their own country, whether they wanted to or not. Sasuke looked down at the boy and pulled his sword free from his hand and shoulder and he did cry out then.

"Interesting, listen, what's your name?" Sasuke asked, grabbing him by the scruff of his collar protruding from under the lather breastplate. The boy stared up at him defiantly, his hand holding onto Sasuke's wristband automatically. He stared at Sasuke with such a dark look for a moment longer before drawing his lips back, almost snarling at him.

"Why would I tell you anything?" he spat at Sasuke again, Sasuke shoved him back, wiping his cheek and when the wretch was on his back once again, Sasuke slammed the heel of his boot to the insufferable youth's throat, pressing hard enough so that he struggled and choked under the young prince's crushing sole. Sasuke bent over him with his victim pushing at his foot, clutched at his ankle, trying to remove the suffocating weight. "Kiba… Inuzuka Kiba!"

Sasuke lifted his foot from Kiba's throat and pressed it on the shoulder wound he gave him moments ago. A cruel smile fixed upon his lips and his dark gaze peered at Kiba intently. "Was that so hard? Now, Inuzuka, why do you not see if you cannot deliver a message for me? I suggest you accept or I'll see fit to make a fatal wound."

Kiba held to his throat, trying to soothe the pain as he coughed. Sasuke held his sword as Kiba looked up at him with patient hatred. Hatred and fear were his most powerful properties, he suspected that the younger boy was not so much afraid of dying as opposed to it as he had more to live for, perhaps a girl or some other prize he wished to return to if this war ever concluded. Nevertheless, it was fear to die too young and foresee any accomplishments that roused hatred for this Otogakure Prince.

"My message is for the Battle Commander of course, tell him here where I fight his men, I'll wait for him to face me, for I've stolen what is his and if he dares to claim it once again, I'll be happy to challenge him for the rights to make my own claim on it." Kiba strained to his feet, blood soaking his shirt and flesh.

"H-How do you expect me to deliver a message to him from this distance back, especially wounded like this?" He hacked up blood, hunching over weakly, swaying with loss of blood. Sasuke looked at him nonchalantly, rolled his shoulders back and stared out across the way hoping to catch sight Sakura's husband.

"The same way you got this far out in attempts at my life. You still have your sword, pick it up, anyone who tries to stop you from delivering my message… just… kill them." Sasuke lifted his sword and brought it down upon Kiba. With only a few seconds before landing, Kiba fumbled to lift his own sword against the offending swoop. The two swords clashed, echoing a piercing metallic screech. Sasuke pushed down with just enough strength on Kiba's sword, smirking like the devil himself.

Kiba stumbled back when Sasuke gave his arm a little more power and withdrew his blade across from Kiba's instantly. "Why don't you go tell him yourself?" Kiba asked, blood trickling down his chin from the tear in his lower lip as well as internally. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders once more; he drew his sword back once again, readying his arm for the strike.

"Die then…"

Kiba lifted his sword, growing weaker with each second he continued to lose blood, he couldn't fight on much longer, he was losing not only blood but energy as well, blood was life after all and he was severely wounded, if he didn't receive medical attention soon he would surely be dead. "Wait! Stop!" he looked as pathetic as he surely felt. Sasuke drew back his sword, allowing the metal to scrap back from Kiba's sword. "I will… I will deliver your message." He wheezed, gripping at his wounds.

Sasuke gave him a curious look, he didn't dare sheath his sword, his Father, Orochimaru and another had taught him to always be wary of your surroundings, after all this was a battleground. "That's a good man, now do try and stay alive." Kiba glowered at him and Sasuke barked out a curt laugh. He swung around at the Konohagakure soldier rushing him from behind and pierced through his arm, holding him and his body as his blade wept with the man's blood.

Sasuke pushed him back and watched the scene unfold, watched Kiba tread his way weakly to wherever it was that the Battle Commander fought. It was a beautiful scene, a lone warrior trying to live, but all signs favoring failure. Sasuke sparred with another Leaf Village Warrior, less interested now that he knew that if Kiba could fulfill his goal, he would soon be facing off with Sakura's husband, his desired opponent.

An arm suddenly surrounded, gripped him tight like a choking python, around his throat, squeezing painfully enough to make Sasuke struggle. He growled and swung his body right and left, he could not remove the arm so he relied on his elbow. He swung his sword arm up, back, and thumped his elbow into the assassin's stomach. Sasuke spun around with his sword falling down onto the man's head, but the attacker lifted his sword and head and shoved Sasuke back.

"You son-of-a-whore!" he snarled at the man who was really one of his own. "Traitor!" he accused and brought his sword back in the air for another blow. The man laughed. His laugh almost as crazed as Sasuke's own in the heat of battle with blood flowing from every able body. Sasuke felt his rage grow and he smashed down his sword repeatedly.

"No, No…" He laughed at Sasuke, keeping his hammering sword at bay. "Just having a little fun!" his laughter grew even louder as their swords continued to clash. Sasuke watched him whirl around and impale his would-be-attacker on his long, narrow blade. Sasuke could sense a man at his back as well and he spun around, his blade going through the man's skull.

He saw the Battle Commanders face, saw the blood at the forehead, the wide open eyes and then the façade faded and there was a stranger with brown wide, dead eyes and a gapping mouth surrounded by short bristly brown hair. This was not the Commander, the illusion fell away and it was only a strange man that had little to no importance to Sasuke.

Sasuke jerked back his sword and turned around to face his own man whose fun was at the expanse of Sasuke's life. He was no longer there; Sasuke scanned the area only to find his own man who attacked him for a little fun body slamming into a group of Konohagakure warriors with their backs turned to him. Sasuke huffed in aggravation. He was going to get them all killed, he swore he was worse then the others at his military command.

Sasuke wondered what was keeping Kiba; surely, no one had slain the man as of yet. He would hate to go in search for Sakura's husband. He wondered if he was avoiding him. Why would he do that, wouldn't he want to know what happened to his Lady, why she was no where about his little castle, sitting by a fire worrying over his safety.

Sasuke lifted his face heavenward and yelled for the second time to the Battle Commanded. "Fight me!" Sasuke panted heavily and lowered his face to where he last saw Kiba. "If you ever want to see your wife again, you'll fight me!"

"What are you doing?" A dark, hissing voice demanded. Sasuke spun around, sword cutting through the air quickly. High above him, seated on the saddle of a black stead was Orochimaru, frowning down at him from his mount. Sasuke lowered his sword, "I warned you Sasuke-dono to leave your distractions here and off the battlefield."

Sasuke wanted to stomp his feet like a two-year-old sulking and shout that it was not fair. He was a prince and yet the things he wanted someone usually denied him. The only people he desired it from denied him the attention he rightly deserved as a young boy and now not just Orochimaru but the one person he desired tender attention from was denying him once again, only he did not want tender attention anymore. So he settled for her attention, even in the spite she projected upon him, just so long as she looked at him, spoke a few words to him, though he wished to hear her speak more than a few heated sentences in one sitting.

"I'm fighting, I'm winning this battle, let me fight my way Orochimaru, how many have I slain, how many in the glory of Otogakure?" Sasuke spun back around and he toppled over, the impact of the hilt to his forehead not only bled him, but also sunk him into a deep unconsciousness.

_"You need to be constantly aware of your surroundings."_

_Sasuke, who was barely six nodded up at the tall man who resembled an older version of himself, only with longer hair tied back. Sasuke watched him intently as he reached for the sword that was not his, a sword he had pilfered from his father's bedside and had swung carelessly and ungracefully about in the empty courtyard, his father was preoccupied as usual. "I was, honest!"_

_Sasuke protested to the man, he stared at the sword above him. The sword lowered and Sasuke shifted his eyes behind the man's shoulder and saw two men standing by the colonnade, one man identified as Orochimaru, grinning over at him behind the man's shoulder. Sasuke looked back to the man instructing him, who lifted his hand, with two fingers projecting forward as the rest curled back into his palm, "First, learn to use," with his two main fingers he reached out and tapped Sasuke's forehead, "this. Then I'll teach you to use," he lifted the sword high, lining it vertically in front of his face, "this."_

_Sasuke nodded up at the older man, promising that he would learn to use his head so that he might be able to be taught by this man, the way of the sword._

Morning was a blaze of pain. He could not open his eyes because of the searing ache that radiated from the center of his forehead to the back of his skull. It felt as though a war hammer had smashed abruptly against his head and knocked him out. When he could open his eyes again, he wondered how long he had been unconscious. "Am I dead?" his voice sounded strange in his ears.

"Not yet, but if you don't remember to be aware of your surroundings, young prince, one of these days you will be." Sasuke groaned and lifted his hand to his forehead and felt the soft material of bandages bounded around his head. He sat up on his elbows against the protests of his body and the blinding pain. "You should be thankful for Orochimaru-sama, without him, you probably would be dead."

Sasuke rubbed his eyes and then at the man with silver hair tied up in a long ponytail. He wore thin metal circular spectacles that expanded over the width of his eyes and he wore a soft purple tunic over a white shirt with grey slacks. Yakushi Kabuto stood before him with bloody hands. "Just a superficial cut to your left side, nothing to concern yourself with." Kabuto told him, lifting up a washcloth a wiping his hands.

"What happened? Where are we?" Sasuke asked lifting the blanket from his naked torso to reveal the bandage swathed over his stomach and under his arms of his torso. The flap at the front drew back and Orochimaru stepped in, a dark look on his face.

"We are back at camp; we're withdrawing, just as Konohagakure does." Sasuke shot forward, hissing in pain as he grabbed his side with one hand, the other pressing against his forehead as he groaned bitterly.

"No, we can't… I have to-"

"Lay back, Sasuke-dono!" Orochimaru snapped at him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes in pure hatred. Orochimaru stepped closer and shoved him back by the shoulder. Sasuke grabbed his forearm, but in his condition, he was too weak to fight back. His head hit the pillows with a soft thud and he closed his eyes, angry with Orochimaru, angry at whoever hit him unexpectedly and even more angry with himself.

Sasuke could not understand why his one fatal flaw was that he did not concentrate on the people that surrounded him. He knew better. He should have had it mastered by now; after all, he had won enough battles. Sasuke was a conqueror, a protégé in battle victories. Orochimaru looked enraged; it was the first lost Sasuke ever delivered. "Re-remember whose man you are, Orochimaru." Sasuke threatened, pressing his teeth and one eye together in unbelievable pain. He closed his eyes and gasped, he had strained his body too much in that last act of rage.

"I am your father's man first and foremost; my duty to him was to make sure you became a man, well protected. Secondly, I am yours… to serve you in your best interest." He bowed then, low and humble. However, Sasuke always seemed to see through Orochimaru, even as a boy. Orochimaru, played favorites, not only had he done such he always pitted men against the other. If Orochimaru was truly good at one thing, it was manipulating those of influence.

Sasuke relaxed his eyes and sighed, taking shallow breaths, so not to add any more strain on his body. "Then… let's return home." Sasuke regretted his words; he did not want to leave this undone. He wanted to follow them, he wanted to run his blade through the Battle Commanders heart, watch the lifeblood flow from his body and coat Sasuke's thirsty blade.

No other drink would satisfy its war song. Partly he did not want to kill him because it would only make her hate him more and… so very sad. He did not think he could withstand her tears, but another side of the coin said that when her heart had grieved all it could, he would endure her hate and comfort her until she allowed him inside, and healed with him in her heart.

She could start over with him. He would protect her and love her as no other, even the Battle Commander, could. "Thank you for cooperating, Sasuke-kun… I'll let Kabuto tend to you now and I'll start preparing the break down of the camp." Sasuke nodded his head. He hated when Orchimaru added the endearing suffix to his name, even though it was not a constant thing.

All he felt was frustration as he listened to the rustling of the tent flap, taking Orochimaru with its fading sound. Kabuto was by his side again, with a small, but long phial in his hand. He uncorked the phial and brought it to Sasuke's lips. "This will help with the pain and help you sleep."

"I don't need sleep."

"No, you need to restore your mind and to do that, my prince, you need to drink this." Sasuke parted his lips enough so that Kabuto could tip the phial and pour the bittersweet liquid down his throat. Sasuke closed his mouth as Kabuto corked the phial again. Sasuke licked his lips and watched Kabuto rise from his seat, walk over to his bag, and replace the phial. He closed his eyes for a second. When he opened his eyes again, he found he was alone.

This was the biggest disappointment of his life since that day. He fisted his hands together. He did not know if he would ever get the chance to battle with her husband ever again… Why was Konohagakure withdrawing? What had happened while he was unconscious, what was Orochimaru keeping from him?

He did not want to return home without knowing he could take care of her forever.

Now he knew why he had allowed that blow to his head. He had indeed disregarded Orochimaru's advice. He had brought his distraction to the battlefield, he had let her and his desire to gloat over his winnings to a man he hardly knew, to say that his wife was so exotic that he added her to his collection. There was no collection, but he knew it would be an insult to injury, if he lied and claimed there was one.

He did not know why or how that had become so important to him, that it consumed him with a fire that ate at his soul. He stared at the roofing of the tent, drawing in its color of deep blue, red and white lining. He was proud of those colors, those were his family's colors and today he put them to shame. "I-I won't let you down again… I won't."

He did not know how he let someone get in his way of his true intentions. He was not there to fight with the Battle Commander; he was there to fight a war. He was there to draw out and get the attention of his Clan's murderer. There was no time to lose his self in fanatical illusions. She hated him, that was plain to see, so why should he worry about taking care of her. She traded her freedom for another; he should have laughed in her face and denied her bargain from the start if he could not treat her like a real prisoner.

He should have thrown her out of his home, he should have killed the Battle Commander and his squadron and been done with it all. He did not need anyone, because everyone that he needed was long gone and dead. The sin of his pain was a stain on his once beating heart. He was alive, but not really, not since that day and somehow she made him feel again, want to be part of something, allow someone inside his world… but at what cost, his honor, his pride?

It was too late to go back on his word. He made a deal with her and he had to see it through to the end. He did not know when the end would be. He knew she was a clever girl, but she seemed to be one who held her end of a bargain just as well as he did. Maybe she would soon remember his words, wise up, and ask him for the anything he could provide her with, because it was well within his means. She need only ask and he would grant it to her, more now then ever before.

He would not allow himself to be a disgrace until he was dead. He was going to claim his revenge for the sake of the Clan. He just really wished he had not done what he had done; he did not know that he would not be able to fix the irreversible as long as she did not know it was reversible.

He just hoped she would learn how to make amends of her words and his before it was too late, because for now all he knew to keep focus was to keep his distance from her, because if she were out of sight, she would not be on his mind. He would drown himself in how to make amends of this battles failure to succeed.

He closed his eyes when he could no longer keep them open and his mind could no longer keep active function. He fell asleep with the aid of the medicine for the pain, as for the pain, it had washed away. Orochimaru and Kabuto returned a few hours later and rousted him from the cot he was nestled into. Sasuke was groggy from the medicine and he moaned with each movement as the brought his arms up and around their shoulders. They forced him to walk outside, toward the stead he had ridden upon on their journey to these grounds.

They hoisted him up onto the saddle and he closed his eyes, never feeling more vulnerable then he did in that moment. Hands supported his legs and back as they lifted him onto the saddle. Soon he felt the flank of another horse brush against his foot as someone reached past him for his horse's reigns. "We're leaving now, Sasuke-dono." Sasuke opened his eyes as much as he could to see a man with wild orange hair looking at him with concern.

"Juugo… where…?"

"Home, Sasuke-dono, just rest now. I'll see you there safely." Sasuke nodded, but looked up for a moment to see that the sky was black and filled with brilliant specks of tiny light, which illuminated the sky.

"Juugo, when we get there… will you do something for me?" He closed his eyes and tilted his chin down so that it rested against his chest clad with thick wool of a cloak. Juugo quickly agreed that he would do whatever his prince asked of him. Sasuke barely heard him; sleep filled him completely. He could barely speak. Whatever Kabuto gave him it was strong enough to knock out an entire army. "Could you…"

"Sasuke-dono, perhaps you should rest first and then tell me when we return to the palace." Sasuke shook his head and reached forward, grabbing the larger man in height by the front of his own cloak. He pulled him close and opened his eyes, strange in their angry red color with black specks circling the pupil. Sasuke felt lightheaded and found his thoughts all jumbled in his head. He needed to get the words out before he really did lose consciousness or forget what he needed to say, but he had to word it in just a way that did not present his true dilemma.

"No… This has to be said now, Juugo! I want no one without permission in my presence. Make sure of it!" Sasuke released him then and closed his eyes, his body going limp with sleep. Juugo held his reigns and the back of his shoulders so that he did not fall off the horse. Sasuke was no longer conscious. Whatever Kabuto had given Sasuke, it was more efficient and potent than he anticipated or anyone else could have really. Sasuke did not even dream, everything was black and he did not function.

When Sasuke came too once again, he narrowed his eyes, looking up at the white canopy of his four-poster bed. He did not remember much, the ride home was a complete blank. He stretched his legs, no longer feeling any pain, but he felt warm, warmer then normal with just the sheets of his bedspread tucked around him. There was a dull ache at his forehead, but he anticipated that.

Sasuke turned his head, his cheek meeting the cool cloth of the pillow covering and saw a parchment with writing angled against a cup. He reached for it and plucked it from the bedside table. Addressed to him, Sasuke glanced at the note. It seemed to be instructions. Prior to his request for seclusion, the note asked him to drink the tea before him. Sasuke sighed and reached for the cup, propping his elbow against the mattress and his back against the extra propped pillows.

Sasuke decided to humor Juugo, since he was probably the one to tuck him into his bed while he was unconscious. Sasuke drank the tea, it was not too hot and there was a hint of honey added to the drink. When he finished he placed the cup back upon the table and leaned back against the pillows, relaxing both arms across his chest. A few minutes of laying there peacefully, a knock sounded on the other side of his door. "Enter."

Juugo opened the door and slipped inside, closing the door behind him. Sasuke watched the giant of a man walk over and look into the cup, when he found it empty he smiled and lifted it, his smile going just as quickly. "Ino-san made it for you when she heard you were incapacitated and recovering. How do you feeling, sir?" Sasuke gave a concise nod of his head. "Good. Karin-san was wondering if she might have an audience with you sometime today."

"No. bring me a pen something to write on." Juugo nodded and searched for the requested item. When Sasuke had them in his hand, Juugo patiently stood at his side until Sasuke finished. "Make sure Sakura gets this, then tell anyone who wishes a word with me that it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm retiring for the rest of the day." Juugo nodded, accepting the parchment before looking back up at the Otokage.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No, Juugo, just make sure she gets that and no one interrupts me." Juugo nodded his head once again and then left the room. Sasuke lifted his hand to his head, pressing the heel of his palm over his head. He was still disappointed in himself for letting an enemy get the better of him; luckily, he had not lost his life along the way.

He knew it was not his time, that he could not die, not yet at least. Sasuke did not really mind if his own wanted to be by his side or seek audience with him, Sakura was the one that he could not be around, she made him lose focus after all, and he had the bump on the head to prove it.

His thoughts went to her then, wondering what she was doing, how she reacted to the days without him, the days while he was off at war, the days in which held him up in his room, unable to move let alone open his eyes. He was ashamed to admit that he missed her, missed the sight of her, the sound, even the sweet vanilla and cinnamon smell of her skin.

Why could he not stop thinking about her? No woman ever had this kind of affect and there had been other woman. Karin was his most frequent visitor to his chambers only because she had something the other woman who came to him past the evening hours did not, vehemence. She took control in the bedroom, but only as much as he allowed.

Sasuke had not even touched Sakura in any intimate way and yet he was eager to know her intimately, the shape of her body, the weight of her breasts, the caress of her mouth against his own and the contact of her fingertips. He wanted to take her in his arms so direly, that the hurt twisted like a dull blade into his being. He wanted her body and her heart, to her know her on a level that no one, not even her husband ever could.

The bastard, he was fortunate to know her in the ways that Sasuke wished he could, Was it any wonder that he found himself longing to plunge his sword into the bastard's heart? It was outrageous to think that he could ever be jealous of anyone, he was a Uchiha, he wasn't suppose to be the jealous one, everyone else was to be jealous of him.

This why he needed to separated himself from her, she would be his downfall and he was not ready to have his people put him in the earth just yet. He had a goal to accomplish and for recognition of that wish, he needed to live. So he would distance himself from her, he would make sure that there were no more distractions until after he fulfilled his vow. The vow he proposed to his wronged Clan.

* * *

**A/N: Disappointed, no Sakura in this chapter just as the last chapter had no Sasuke, but fear not, they will indeed be together in the same scene soon enough. This chapter was hard to write. I'm not a battle writer. I can't write fight scenes the way I can write love scenes, speaking of love scenes, they're lacking huh? Not yet worthy of the M rating just yet, unless you want to count the gore of this one (though failing gore) chapter.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading and don't forget to leave a review. I want to know what everyone thinks, don't just favorite or alert it, let me know why you're marking it as a favorite or worth having an email alert you when the story is updated. It gives me an idea of what you like about the story and even more worthy of continuing.**

**Hope to hear from you, I'm off to have another brownie.**


	6. Malefic Conceptions

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property and creation of Kishimoto Masashi. I own none of the characters or the places mentioned in this story.**

**Acknowledgements and Thank you's:**

**Gone Fishing/Gemma**: Well, I'm glad you liked the story thus far. Battle scenes are hard, its trying to make them detailed and lengthy that's the problem, not very exciting if you go around saying, 'he cut them all down' and then write nothing else.  
**Laurapen90**: I know, its taking some time because unlike other stories I've written she's never met him before and right away her perception of him isn't agreeable. So its taking some time, but like I've said to another reader, I hoping to change that with the next chapter. Hopefully.  
**lalagirl555x**: Well, I'm glad you thought so, it took a lot out of me mentally to write it long enough and detailed enough without it becoming too boring. I can't wait for the love scenes either, after all, they're kind of my forte.  
**cutecrazyice**: Well, I tried to get it in the next chapter, sometimes things go array. Shame!  
**missyserena214**: If you're trying to console me, thanks…  
**Samurai Zakari**: I always was just describing Sakura, never really put into how I felt about her. I mean, she's like my second favorite overall character, next to Sasuke of course! Yeah, he definitely finds out that Neji isn't her husband. My battle scene was funny? Pout!  
**anon**: I never said anything about Neji dying… he's alive and kicking, just not present throughout the story.  
**Princess of drama**: I can tell, you caps locked the whole sentence, heehee. I know, but comic relief, what can you do? I've seen the book covers, they're very elegantly done, but I've not read them, so I wouldn't really be the person to comment on because I wouldn't know who was who and so on, maybe I should look into the series.  
**Meira Evenstar**: Thank you, I'm glad you thought so.  
**Mika Huntress  
****silverymoonfire**: Yeah, I'd like to hear that conversation too, I bet its like… really intense and insulting. Well, I won't say that she wouldn't still love Neji, but I'm being kind of stubborn about giving Neji even a little cameo, if you've read any of my other Neji/Sakura/Sasuke stories, you'll find that I tend to torture Neji out of a love deal.  
**missimpossible1352  
****HitsugayaLuver8**: I'm in the mood to hug the next person who says my battle scene was well-written and your up to plate. Sasuke-kun can be so stubborn when it comes to Sakura, either way in my opinion. I tried explaining it, but I can't so I won't. HA!  
**pink-strawberries**: Ooho, well, with a blush to my cheek, thank you!  
**Leigh4  
****BelieveForMe**: I'm glad you think that, because I don't think she should jump immediately into the man she isn't quite fond of bed just like that.  
**Xloser21**: Poor, Kiba, getting laughed at… Sorry, I'm a fan of updating later… I love input.  
**Kaz  
****GodricGirl**: I dub thee, my new favorite. Because my other favorite dumped me for unknown reasons and… your review is my idea of what a review should look like, not that I don't appreciate the reviews I receive, its simple that your review gives me insight on what you like about my story. Thank your for your generous review!  
**Twinnet**: Good battle scenes start with a weapon of choice. I choose the sword because well, as I've said to my western loving mother… close combat weapons are more dragged out while with guns its over in a flash. Bam! Someone's left standing.  
**aznangel101  
****Tenshihana- -Unyield Wish**: To be honest… I think Sasuke is just bragging. And thank you for the clarification on your part.  
**Oyuki  
****Rene2**: Well, thank you, I'm glad it impressed upon you. Shivers? Really? Wow! I always thought Sasuke was a complex character to write because he has so many emotions surging through him at once, ones he locked away for so long and ones he just can't restrain. At first he felt nothing short of unadulterated hate but then after he hears the truth he's overcome with grief and a newfound hate.

Sasuke breaks my heart continuously. I have literally cried when he goes back into his flashbacks of his life or what Itachi did to the clan and now what he's planning to do. He makes me sad and angry and of course, what most girl's feel when they see him, giddy! I think his life is more damaging than Edward Elric's, because at least Ed has his brother and allows those who would be his friends in, where Sasuke lost his family, respect and admiration for his older brother and of course keeps those who would care about him at arms length, he's really all alone.

But its easy for me to understand that or at least portray it, because if you watch him, for me, its easy to see what he would say or wouldn't and if he does happen to say it a more restricted limit to how he might go about saying it. If any expression of attachment, love or otherwise, I think he might feel more comfortable going about it, privately.

Well… just show you know my intentions are for Sakura's mind to change, how much is still something I'll not elaborate on.  
**liluchihaluver**: Well, I'm glad you like it, but I think that from the last chapter you've formed a misconception about Orochimaru and Sai. First off, I blame Orochimaru for everything resulting to Sasuke's current situation, second only to Itachi of course, and two… well, I really just don't care about Sai, he's not even there to me most of the time. So mayhaps this chapter will clear the misconception I believe you've formed.  
**LAN CASTELLON**: Me too, but I trying as quickly as possible to amend that.  
**Nikki-4  
****artemis-the-black-witch  
****inu-baby girl**: Just some nobody Konohagakurian…  
**Laura-chan**: Thank you, that means a lot. I wish you wouldn't have told me about Anette singing Tarja's songs. She doesn't have the same pitch range as Tarja. Thank goodness Tarja decided to continue her music career, do you have her Winter Storm CD too? I don't know about Tuomas though, I think he's putting on some weight in his later years, still a very handsome man… (my favorites Jukka, first) still I envy you for attending a concert; I want them back here in the states! I own two DVDs, I liked it when they first started, how short Tuomas' hair is Squee!  
**Raefire**: I'm not sure it 24-7, but it's a lot, . Yeah, Sasuke is better off gloating when people aren't waving weapons in his face.  
**Cherry-chan13  
****gay lepercaun  
****TheBeastlyKunoichi**: I think you're the first and only person to say that. Well, I'm trying to get the more intimate parts in the seventh chapter.  
**AnimeMangaFreak**: Who wouldn't think it was sweet for Sasuke to think of Sakura every now and then, it would be even better if he did so in the manga or anime just to with the writer. But your right, their interaction (especially my partake of it) is when it's at the best. So just so we're clear, eating and breathing isn't cutting it alone?  
**tinkerbella  
****Spread-My-Wingz-And-Soar  
****Makeitadream**: Glad you like, I am trying to get them to interact more intimately by next chapter.  
**sasukelover92**: I like to keep this life separate from my real life, here I feel like another person and I interact differently, if you would like to talk its bet to go into my profile and click on my myspace link. Glad you like the story thus far.  
**Pink Angel Of Hope  
****dino girl**: Hoping to correct that status part.  
**XoBreathe**: Thank you very much, it's always something we progressing authors love to hear, frankly it means a lot.

* * *

_Plunge your dagger into the heart of an enemy and wait for the wound to grow._

She felt the brush of the cold wind against her skin, tousling her long unbound strawberry blond hair as she stepped out of the palace into the sun warmed garden. The garden was still except for the wind, the bubbling of the fountain, and the cooing of the morning doves. Sakura walked over to the bench and sat down, as it had become her routine, her means to forget where she was without really forgetting.

Uchiha Sasuke had returned almost two weeks ago, the condition he arrived home in led her to believe that he might not make it and it frightened her, not because she was concerned for his well-being, but with the return of the Otokage, so too did his army return with him. He was in their ranks, the man that made her very heart freeze with fear.

She remembered when they came marching in, he caught sight of her with those intense eyes and grinned at her in a way that paralyzed her where she stood, some powerful force must have been protecting her because he only looked as he so often did when their paths crossed. He always appeared as though he wanted to go to her, but he always just kept walking, but that didn't relax her, it only made her all the more wary. Perhaps the Otokage kept him at bay unknowingly.

She had been pleased with both absences, but something was different with the Otokage's return. He had days to ask her for an audience and yet, not once had he summoned her. It should have pleased her as well, but she only worried further. Sakura sat with a thin leather covered book in her lap and opened it to read. Ino informed Sakura of the Otokage's injuries, they sounded severe, but could he have really been asleep for that long?

"Haruno-san," Sakura turned from her thoughts and her book and glanced over her shoulder, the man who rode in at the Otokage's side was now standing at the entryway of the garden. Sakura stared expectantly for a few moments before she remembered what Ino had said to her the first time she came to the garden. This garden was restricted to everyone but the horticulturist and the Otokage and herself, this man respected the interdict.

Sakura let the book slid from her lap and onto the bench before she pushed herself up and walked over to the man with a shock of orange hair wildly fashioned upon his scalp. He was the biggest man she ever encountered and she had seen plenty of tall men, Neji for instance. She stood before him and he looked down at her with a placid gaze. He lifted his hand and fixed between fingers and thumb he held a piece of parchment. "What is that you're holding?" Sakura inquired, looking back at his face.

"…For you, Haruno-san, from his lord Otokage." Sakura took the parchment presented to her and looked at it, not knowing what to do with it, she turned her gaze once more to the man before her, but he was already heading back down the corridor. Sakura looked back at the parchment and then turned from the guards with their back to her and she walked over to the bench and fountain once more. Sakura took her seat once again and looked at the water, glittering in the sun's light.

Quietly she wondered what the Otokage could have written upon the parchment; she wanted to and at the same time did not wish to know. She looked up from the water and turned her head to the right and skyward, towards the palace, up towards the curtained windows. She stared for a moment and then lifted the parchment and turned her head back. Elegantly written upon it in black ink was her name on a parchment of high-grade, lined with gold leaf trimming on the edges.

Sakura came from an expensive lifestyle, but she had only seen parchment like this come from the Hokage. Sakura sighed and read onward. She lowered it when she finished and set the parchment onto the surface of the water until it drifted under the fount spilling water onto the ink until it grew heavy with the moisture and dipped under the top and sunk to the bottom.

She held her hand to her chest and closed her eyes, he was not releasing her, but he was excusing her from his presence for the remainder of her captivity. He mentioned that she could still ask anything she desired, but now, indirectly, she would have to relay her wish to him through some other means. The time, he claimed, called for distance between them. She did not understand his sudden change of heart, if there were any emotions to the note; it seemed to be regret and strong persistence. Sakura looked back towards the window to find the curtains fluttering back over the window from the glass over black.

She stood quickly, watching the window a few moments longer as though she would see them lift from the windowpane once more. Nothing happened, when she realized that nothing would, she lifted her book from her place beside her and walked back towards the entryway. Her guard took his place beside her and followed her at her heels. "I don't need an escort!" Sakura snapped. She just about had it with this man always trailing her.

"Whether or not you like it, you puling bitch, I only follow the Otokage's orders, not yours, so get moving… or else." Sakura narrowed her eyes before she felt fingers flitter across the base of her neck. She turned and found Sai at her side. The guard looked from the Otokage's cousin, to his keep. Sai smiled between the both of them, before clucking his tongue.

"You would speak to a woman in such mannerism? Embarrassing, really, I think you should be relieved of this post. Come, Sakura-hime, I'll accompany you on your way." Sakura felt relief wash over her, even though she knew that Sai was simply using her. Right now, she did not care if that was his intent; he was rescuing her, again. Sakura nodded to him and they both turned their backs to the gaping guard.

"For what its worth, thank you, you've saved me again."

"It's worth nothing, come here." He ushered her into an opened doorway and closed the door behind them. Sakura looked around and blinked. He brought her to the library. He led her to the window side desks and pulled out a chair for her, gesturing for her to take a seat. Sakura did as instructed and Sai took the seat opposite of her so they were face-to-face.

"What going on?" Sakura inquired as Sai lifted a satchel onto the table and opened it up, avoiding her gaze entirely. With his hand still buried in the bag, he looked up at Sakura, his dark eyes staring into hers. She watched him, looking back into his eyes with the same length of time. He opened his mouth to speak, keeping his eyes fixed on her eyes.

"With your arrival, I've had a great number of opportunities to formulate a plan, one that would work in my advantage and divert any suspicion toward myself." Sakura's eyes widen as he pulled out a fan-shaped mounting. "Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like more than a few things in this desolate country, it is not what is on the outside, that counts, but what is inside."

With that said, Sai lifted the wooden sheath and jerked it apart, revealing a tantō blade within the wooden mounting. This was too soon for Sakura, to be gazing upon a tantō blade, gleaming in the sunlight. Sakura did not have what it took to take a life. She was not even sure how to go about it. "S-Sai there is no way… I cannot do what you are asking of me!"

"You may ask any man," Sai went on inexorably, "that there is no easier task." She glared at him and moved her hand to push back the tantō but he caught her wrist under his hand, closing it around the bone almost painfully tight. Sakura kept glaring at him, even though he was hurting her hand. She wanted to spit at him, kick him, but she resisted the urge.

"If it's so easy…" she seethed, in her green eyes was the lethal fury that accumulated within the core of her being over the many frustrating days of her captivity. She was tired and sick of being everyone's scapegoat, Neji's, Karin's and now even for Sai, but in a way she never dared to assume. "If it is so easy, Sai-san, then you may go through with it!"

Sai's face remained expressionless, but his hand moved off her wrist, which turned a bright red from his grasp and slipped over her fingers, closing them around the hilt of the tantō. She looked down at her hand as he moved his hand away from hers. "I would, but _I _cannot. I am looking to obtain Otogakure as Otokage. Now, Sakura-hime, Sasuke does not appeal very much to you and me, and there would be some who do not care for his methods; however, he is the Otokage, or at least the stand-in until he decides to cease torturing Karin. See he is an Uchiha."

"So unless he's dead… you can't assume rule over the country?" Sai nodded and watched Sakura lift the tantō from the table and up to her face, examining the blade. She looked past it to Sai's dark eyes. "And when he is… I will be… I'll be convicted of assassination ad they'll put me to death."

"Yes, but you won't die. You see as reward for your compliance. I will kill you myself, but without a witness. I'll see you home safely in a way that makes the people of Otogakure believe their Otokage has received the proper retribution." Sakura looked up at him, failing to keep the startlement from her face. "I would very much like to end this war and start trade with Konohagakure."

Sakura lowered the tantō to the table again and Sai slipped it from her hand. Sakura was imagining what it would be like, to know peace again, to know freedom. She could not fathom killing a man before, as she had never engaged in the dreadful act before, but now she could not imagine not taking the chance. She would be free, she could return to her home life. Her parents, how she came to miss them and surely, surely Neji had a valid reason for not venturing into Otogakure to bring her home.

She thought of normalcy, her idea of it. Sitting at home, free to take walks, not always having a guard to tail her, not fearing the looks certain men gave her, able to step foot outside of her own free will, nuzzling up with Neji and kissing him, holding him, laughing and eating with him. She even fostered the idea of after their marriage they might conceive a child together.

"Now this cannot be done within one day, you have to conduct this plan carefully and during midnight would be the best possible instant. You need to plan your route to the Otokage's chambers, while he sleeps is in your favor. Do you understand? We will meet here a month from now. You also need to put up with that guard until we near the beginning of the next month, I need the situation between the two of you to get much worse."

"What are you planning?"

"To give you a new guard unfamiliar with your routine, now, I've heard that you've been dismissed from his presence, have you not?"

"The Otokage…?" Sakura questioned. Sai nodded. Sakura was surprised that Sai would know such a thing when she learned of it less than an hour ago. "Yes, he wrote me this note." She went to search for the parchment hidden within the skirt pockets, but remembered that she had tossed it into the fountain. "He said… that the time had called for distance between us. I'm not sure what he means exactly."

"You're a distraction. If Sasuke is proud of anything above all else that he is, is that he is focused. He does not let his mind wonder; pray tell me how you think he has won so many battles? Your homeland may have been conquered that day, but he returned injured and disastrous." Sakura bowed her head at that notion. What, Konohagakure vanquished, by Otogakure? She did not want that to happen. She knew now more than before that she had to help Sai rid Otogakure of the Otokage.

"I- I really have to kill him, don't I?" Sakura asked, quickly when Sai stood up, pushing back the chair opposite to her. Sai looked down at her, sheathing the tantō so that it looked like a regular covering for a fan. He handed it to Sakura and she took it into her hand and stared down at the wooden covering.

"…If you ever want to leave this place. Remember it is up to you to chart this out to perfection. There can be no mistakes, chances like this… they come only once, twice maybe, but with the last Uchiha, it is unlikely. You have to think of this like war, Sakura… either you kill him, or he kills you."

Sai walked away from her, until even the clicking of his boot heels had left her alone. Fighting the urge to cry, Sakura rested the fan tantō on her lap and rested her elbows on the table, cradling her head in her hands and breathed… just breathed; Trying to collect her thoughts and self for the intensity of the task. Sakura lived a placid life, nothing this exciting had ever happened to her ever, she wasn't even asked to chase a chicken and kill it, and here she was, sitting alone after asked that she kill a man, not just any many, a man who was a symbol to the people who lived in Otogakure.

Sakura picked herself up from the seat at the table and pocketed the tantō. She walked slowly, breathing deeply and exhaling slowly, she felt confident enough that she would not appear suspicious. Sai told her she had to wait at least another month before they could act on anything, she surely did not anticipate any of this happening. She thought if any killing were to take place it would be by Neji's hand… she did not think she would be the one petition to assassinate a man.

Sakura did not hate the Otokage the way Sai obviously did, but she thought about what Sai said. He hated Otogakure as it was now, he had hopes of changing it as the new Otokage, she did not know why she trusted his word and now thinking on how he clarified his intent on using her when they first met, and she knew that she needed a backup plan alongside Sai's conspiracy. Sakura made her way to the exit, only to open the door and find Ino standing there.

"Sakura… what's going on?"

…

Sasuke opened his eyes to the sound of arguing behind his chamber doors, a woman's high voice, familiar to his ears and a placid low tempo voice of Juugo who stood obediently at the other side of the doors as a barricade between himself and Sasuke as so ordered. He sighed and turned from the windows, there was no reason to stand there any longer, she had retired from the gardens long ago and he doubted that she would return once more for the day.

His head still throbbed from the injury he received and upon the orders of Kabuto and Orochimaru he was forced to stay locked up inside his room for at least a week of _bed rest_, but how could he commit to such an order when there was arguing right outside his chamber doors. Fed up with the commotion, Sasuke pulled on his royal blue yakata and walked over to the door, a little too fast in his frustration, causing intense vertigo. Sasuke paused against the door and pressed his hand to his side, the injury there causing him some relative pain.

He drew in deep breaths, exhaling sharp puffs of air before he got his hand around the handle and jerked it open, glaring as best he could through the pain. Juugo turned around and Karin looked up, her face going lax and pale at the sight of Sasuke. "Pray tell what all the commotion is about." Juugo went to speak, but Karin got both hands on the man's arm and pushed him back almost effortless despite his build.

"I've wanted to see you Sasuke-dono…" Karin said, looking at him with pleading eyes. He closed his eyes to the pathetic sight and grimaced at the pain between his eyes. "If I had been by your side- that damn Orochimaru and _him_…" she said the last bit like a spewing venomous snake. "They are both responsible for your condition- hey! Juugo, let go, I need to talk with Sasuke-"

Sasuke opened his eyes to see that Juugo had wound his arms around Karin's small waist and had her up off the floor, physically carrying her down the hall. "Wait- Juugo!" Juugo did so, ever obedient. The man turned with Karin in his arms to face him, presenting Sasuke with her back. "Let Karin speak her piece. Come inside Karin, before I change my mind."

Karin yelped as Juugo released her none too gracefully. She landed on her feet, but barely maintained her balance. Tugging on her tunic, she straightened her posture and walked over to Sasuke, smiling conceitedly as she walked past him and into his chambers. Sasuke exchanged a brief glance with Juugo and the man took a step forward. "Haruno-san has received your note, Sasuke-dono."

"Good." he pressed his lips together and looked down at his feet before looking back up at Juugo once more. "Did she say anything, about the note?"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-dono. I didn't stay to watch her read it." Sasuke nodded and then perceived that he did not inform Juugo to watch Sakura read the note, only that she received it. He nodded to Juugo and then closed the door. Sasuke took a moment before turning around and finding that Karin had made herself comfortable on his bed. He walked over to her and she glared up at him.

"I am very upset with you Sasuke-dono…" Karin said in all seriousness. Sasuke looked down at her as she stood up, enough so that her breasts brushed against his stomach and pressed against the space between his chest and his ribs. Sasuke looked at her unblinking, unflinching. Sasuke knew exactly how to play her game. He lifted his hand and took a lock of her opaque red hair between his fingers, stroking it, never turning his eyes from her own deep red ones.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is so. You ordered me to stay here when I could have been by your side, if I had been you would have won that battle and no one would have come within an inch of touching you, let alone impale you on the tip of their sword or give you that bump on your head." She lifted her hand and brushed her fingers across the white dressing wrapped around his brow. Sasuke grabbed her hand and lowered it, lingering the knuckles close to his lips.

Karin drew her hand from his and frowned. "I needed you here. I don't regret my decision; it's helped me see clearly." Karin gingerly pressed her hands to Sasuke's ribs, leaning into him as she tilted her head back, parting her lips as she pushed up on the balls of her feet to reach his mouth.

"Is that so, Sasuke-dono, how clearly, enough to make a crucial decision?"

"Perhaps…" He closed the distance between their mouths, sealing his lips against hers in a consuming kiss. As the kiss grew more heated, Karin added more pressure to his body with her hands, causing him to gulp back a groan and break the kiss. "Stop!" he huffed, staggering back and clutching at his wounded side. Karin's eyes widened and she reached for her Otokage's hand. He slapped it away and moved past her to sit on the side of the bed, opening his yakata and tugging it off his shoulders and arms.

Karin looked for the salve that she knew Kabuto had brought early in the morning while Sasuke had been sleeping. She found it in a small mortar accompanied with the pestle. She hurried over to her Otokage and dropped to her knees in front of him. Blood had blossomed under the bandages. The medicine was not going to be enough. She was not use to taking care of the wounded, but she figured she needed a basin and cold water and a rag, just to wipe the blood away.

When she fetched the items clumsily enough, Sasuke snatched the washcloth away from her, aggravated. He removed the bandages with little resistance and started to wipe away the flowing blood. When he had cleaned the wound, he gestured for the salve. He applied the unguent and allowed Karin to dress the wound again. "You should lay back, Sasuke-dono."

He nodded, thinking that what she said was the smartest thing she said in a long time. He pushed his body back with his hands and turned so that he could rest his head against the bed. Karin helped lift his legs and pulled the sheets over him. She came down to kiss him, but he held her back with his hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go see if they can bring me something to eat?"

Karin nodded, frowning. She knew it was foolish to try to bed a seriously injured man, but she had not graced the cool Egyptian cotton sheets of his bed in such a long time. She had not felt her body warmed by his firm muscular one for so many days. His kiss was enough to give her body a slight fever; she only wanted another to ease the ache that grew between her thighs because of him.

Sasuke simply closed his eyes, ignoring Karin completely now. She left him alone soon enough and he reopened his eyes. He was thankful that he was injured enough to not entertain her desires. He wanted flesh, but not hers. It was true, the rumor going around since he stopped inviting Karin to his chambers. He no longer desired her robust ways. He wanted something softer, beautiful, gentle and innocent. He wanted the golden-rose of flesh and the vivid pink of tresses.

He wanted Haruno Sakura; even though he knew, he could not afford any distractions. Sasuke eyelashes fluttered lightly as he sat up, wincing only mildly with the strain. He could not afford to be bedridden either, he needed to heal quickly and get back on track. No more was his mind on fighting the Battle Commander solely; if their paths happened to cross on the field then he would think of it as nothing more than a nice bonus.

Sasuke pulled back the blankets, unable to stay idle when he had plans that he needed to formulate and execute. He was just resting his feet against the floor when the door opened and Juugo popped his head in. Sasuke looked at him as he excused himself, announcing Orochimaru's arrival. Sasuke sighed, he really did not want to see Orochimaru, but he gave his consent and Juugo nodded, disappearing.

Orochimaru sauntered in, closing the door behind him. Orochimaru shook his head disapprovingly. "You look terrible. Karin says you've reopened your wound, not a good thing, if you're looking to recover, my prince." Sasuke frowned, much like a pouting child, but said and did nothing. Orochimaru walked over to the bedside table and lifted the pitcher off the table, pouring into the twin goblets the rose-colored wine. He handed one to Sasuke, who took it unquestioningly.

Orochimaru took a long drink and then lowered the goblet looking at Sasuke. "Why are you here Orochimaru, if it's to lecture me-?"

"Take a guess," Orochimaru invited. "The scouts haven't reported back."

Sasuke's eyes grew in width. "What do you suppose that means that they have fallen into enemy terrain? If I wasn't hole up in my room-," Orochimaru sighed loudly, cutting off Sasuke's tirade. Sasuke closed his mouth and thought of his father. He would be disappointed in his son, but that was anything but uncommon. He could never make his father proud enough… he was never good enough and the more he thought on it, the angrier he felt. "What would you have me do?"

"Oh, are you asking my advice?" Sasuke closed his eyes at Orochimaru's remark, promising that one of these days the old man was going to push him too far. He did not achieve his father's patience, if anything he was the opposite of his father, of his Clan, hotheaded, headstrong and brash. Something akin to a growl trickled from behind his clenched teeth. "Temper, temper, Sasuke-kun… if you had listened to me prior to our last summit, you'd be- well, not in your condition."

"You've come to gloat. Your Otokage has failed you and so you seek to punish me with guilt. I am not giving into your twisted sense of pleasure, Orochimaru. I know my downfall and from it, I rise with more wisdom than I possessed previously."

"And rightly so, but I think you need another lesson, something to remind you, little prince, that my words are like answers from Kami, himself. When I speak, you listen, because it is so rare for me to help you out. Don't you agree?" It hit him without warning, like a blaze of fire consuming him from the inside, starting at the junction of his neck and shoulder. Sasuke collapsed to his knees, too weak from his battle wounds to withstand the pressure.

It was as if some unknown thing was eating at his flesh, flaying it open. All he could do to keep his dignity was to clamp his teeth together tightly and not scream out; it was not an easy task. Any pain compared to this was like pricking his finger on a pin clasp, any pain would be better than this and Orochimaru had access to it like sluicegate.

Sasuke was not sure how long he endured the pain, but when it was over, he found his body supported by one arm and the other clutching at his burning shoulder. Orochimaru looked down at him with a sort of sadistic smile on his face that made Sasuke retch dryly. His vision was none too perfect now, everything blurred from the pain. He sat back on his legs, feeling a sticky wetness on his stomach and legs.

Blood coated his skin and the bandages wrapped around his stomach. "You're turning out to be more trouble than your worth and I didn't always think that, Sasuke-kun. You held such promise when you were younger, even more so than that brother of yours. Where's your drive, where's your strive? You've never let anything stop you before and then- then some little bitch journeys from Konohagakure, our goal, to Otokage and throws a bargain at you and," he paused to laugh, a dark, harsh chuckle, "you, you stupid, stubborn, boy, lap it up like some greedy dog!"

Orochimaru shoved Sasuke back so he landed on his back, pushing his body up with his elbows, panting fiercely with the staggering pain. Sasuke groaned in anguish, he could feel the hot liquid of his blood still oozing out from under the bandages and down his stomach, over his black trousers. Orochimaru looked down at him disdainfully, he closed his hand into a firm fist, actually debating whether to hit his Otokage or not.

"Tell you what I'll do, you know, to bring you back to your senses, to your true potential…" he laughed again, loosening his fist and tapping his fingers against his upper lip. "I will get rid of her for you. Kami knows you would not do it yourself. Too weak, not enough hate in you."

Sasuke wanted to lunge at him; it was the push he needed, the push to kill this man before him, the one who did this to him, worked him over enough to reopen his wound for the second time that day. Sasuke took one crawling step toward Orochimaru as he turned his body enough to do so. "No, no, no…" each word was a low moan, the pain was hard to deal with, it was a curse he received when he was at the tender age of thirteen, it almost killed him and at the same time, saved his life, he thought for sure that without it, he wouldn't be alive to this date.

Orochimaru laughed at the performance, shaking his head, waiting for the outcome. "What's this… are you really going to oppose me? Are you telling me that even though I can take care of your _little_ problem, you're going to defy me?" Sasuke made a small sound low in his chest, blood bubbled at the corner of his mouth, coating his teeth.

"She's mine, Orochimaru!" Sasuke snapped, rushing the older man with ferocity, his hands going about his throat and clutching powerfully enough to make Orochimaru choke on his laughter. The laughing made Sasuke's eyes turn that eerie blood red with black specks. Orochimaru continued to laugh even though he latched his hands around Sasuke's, trying to pry them off. "And so you know, I have enough strength, enough hatred to kill you!"

Orochimaru laughed thickly, "Are you going to kill me?" he strained to ask, his voice gruff. Sasuke put more pressure on his throat; he did not want Orochimaru talking anymore, he did not want him laughing at him, thinking that he was some weakling who went soft because of a pair of deep green eyes. They were such beautiful, innocent eyes beneath an array of conflicting emotions of distrust, despair and intense fury.

"If you have no objections," Sasuke replied through his clenched teeth, dripping blood onto Orochimaru's cheek. Orochimaru merely smiled, still tugging at Sasuke's hands vainly, he laughed between pressures, his eyes shining with some unknown telling.

"By all means!" he laughed again. They struggled a little longer, Orochimaru's lips turning blue as he began to lose oxygen quickly. "You're loosing blood faster than I'm loosing air, I think." He was not laughing anymore; they had been going at this for a while now. One of them was bound to loose consciousness first. Sasuke shook his head, but could not keep his eyes open either, his hand flinched and his fingers uncurled and he slumped forward, rolling off Orochimaru's chest and onto his back on the floor.

Orochimaru wheezed and coughed, gulping down air as one would water when dehydrated. Orochimaru looked down at the young Otokage and gritted his teeth in anger. "You tried to kill me," he whispered to the unconscious young man. He got to his feet and kicked him lightly in the side, just to see if he was still alive. A gush of air escaped Sasuke's lips, blood bubbled lightly. Orochimaru shook his head and went to the door. He pulled it open, forcing Karin and Juugo's attention. "Get Kabuto in here, hurry!"

Karin dropped the tray of soup she had been carrying and Juugo rushed past her as she hurried into the room to find Sasuke on the floor in a pool of his own blood. "Sasuke-dono- Sasuke- what happened?"

…

The two women stood looking at each other in tense anticipation, one wishing not to betray her thoughts and the other wishing not to betray her words. Both stood, Sakura's pulse racing urgently as Ino stared at her with those soft pastel blue eyes. Sakura looked at the elegant physique of the woman standing before her. She was the ideal female of any man's preferred taste.

She was tall, at least a foot more than Sakura. Her skin was like fresh cream, flawless, clean. Her eyes were akin to an afternoon spring sky, calm and fathomless. Her hair reminded her of the wheat field's, rich with the golden hue from the sun's glow. Every line of her bone structure was perfect, Ino was a marvel, a gem among women and yet… she was love starved. The one man she wished to catch the eye of; had no eye for her. Sakura thought only how sad that actuality was now.

Sai had given her a very important, risky, task. Her mind fought between it for some time, but Sai had used his very influential words to make her see things his way. With the present Otokage out of the way, freedom did not seem some distance wish, some impossible desire. It became tangible, something she could reach out and grab, touch, taste. It was Ino's question she tried innovating into some form in which she could answer. Without disclosing the iniquitous intrigue devised minutes ago.

Unfortunately, Sakura could not twist the words in her favor and so she spoke the simplest of words. "Nothing is going on, Ino." Ino did not look all too convinced and with her appearance, Sakura found her hand fisting over the fabric of the hidden pocket of her skirt, harboring the disguised weapon and her other hand tightening around the book she carried with her to the garden early that morning.

"Well, I don't believe that. Something is happening because Sasuke-kun has locked himself in his chambers, denying all audiences." Sakura fingers loosened from her skirt and she nearly dropped the book, so she was not the only one he was going to put distance between, but the entire palace?

"Did he send you a letter?" Sakura inquired, placing her book between both hands. Ino looked confused for a moment and then stepped back, for it made no sense to go forward with Sakura blocking the entryway into the library. Ino shook her head a second later, still looking confused.

"You… received a letter?" Sakura nodded, she had already told Sai. What was it worth to keep it from Ino? "What did it say?" Sakura shrugged; to her it was nothing important or rather it was just a relief off her shoulders. It would be like the days he was away at war only now he was back, but he would not call for her to eat with him or walk with him or whatever he desired from her at his whim.

"Just that the time called for it, for distance, something about… staying focus," Ino nodded, then shook her head, pressing her hands to her mouth, a gesture of worry or incapable of understanding. Sakura did not try to understand the Otokage. She knew she never would. He was an enigma, too complex to understand and so she took whatever he threw at her in strides, even if it did tend to frustrate her nearly out of her mind. Ino put her hands away from her mouth back to her sides.

"I'm worried about him, he's changed so much since-" She looked up at Sakura, her words dying on her lips. Sakura bowed her head with the blunt halt of Ino's words. Sakura wondered just what the Otokage had been like before she made the journey to his lands with his troops. Was he a fearsome man who thought only of himself and his needs… she wanted to believe that because if she did it would make him always as she regarded him, he would always be the enemy to her and that was who he was, her enemy. She did not notice the change in him because she did not know him the way Sai and Ino did, the way anyone here did.

"It's okay Ino, don't look so apologetic." Sakura laughed lightly, placing her hand onto the door. Ino just stared at her, the apologetic look not falling away from her; she did not even try to smile in light of Sakura's words. "I must be some kind of ominous harbinger to those who know the Otokage personally." It was ironic that she should say that, now that Sai had placed in her hands the means to remove the Otokage permanently.

"Sakura, please, I think of you as a friend. The only women here are not my friends. Karin is insufferable and the women who bring up your bath water are… there is nothing for the three of us to talk about. I feel like I can talk to you." Ino reached for Sakura's hand and held it between her as if it were dear to her. Sakura slipped her hand away from Ino's; Sai was very good with words. He belonged in politics, upon the throne of Otogakure.

"Ino… we're not friends. If there is anything you desire more it is that I be removed from his lands, because he talks of me with favor while keeping you at arms lengths." Ino's fingers twitched at Sakura's cold, but truthful words. It was Ino's turn to feel ashamed. "I am Konohagakure and you are of Otogakure, we are enemies in name alone."

"Maybe… when this war is over and long forgotten, those words can become a lie." Sakura smiled and as she did, Ino lifted the corner of her lips into a warm smile. "You and I can become friends; speak to each other as friends would."

"Maybe that day is closer than we think. It will be a very good day." Sakura said, trying to keep the hurt from her eyes and voice, because she was going to take the fall. She was going to let everyone blame her for Sai's idea; she was going to be his hand as she murdered the Otokage in exchange for her release.

"Sakura… maybe for a little longer, you can pretend that we're of the same country? How long have you been friends with Sai-san? I saw him leave here and you've spoken of him before, that day you met unpleasantly with Karin…" Sakura never pretend that Otogakure was her home, but she decided to humor Ino, in hopes that she could keep her from discovering her dark intentions.

"Yes, of course Ino. Perhaps we can take a walk together. I've seem to have misplace my guard." Ino looked about her, for the first time noticing that Sakura was without escort. Sakura walked past her and Ino moved to find her place at Sakura's side. "Sai-san… he's a different kind of man, I think. He doesn't talk much but I find that when he does, it's almost impossible not to listen."

"Well, I'm not sure if you know this or not, but Sai-san is the cousin of our lord Otokage. He has been with us about three years now, sent to us after the loss of his last living relative. I hate to say this, he is after all the cousin of Sasuke-kun, but there seems to be bad blood between the two." Sakura wanted to voice how true that statement was, even she was not into the habit of consorting to kill one of her extended family.

"I didn't know that." Sakura said, as they made their way towards the staircase. Sakura was learning things about herself, things that remained hidden to her while she lived in Konohagakure. She could hate someone, she could lie to someone, she could want so badly that she was willing to take a blade and fatally pierce it into the body of another. She could kill if she wanted the desired outcome fiercely enough.

Sakura was a monster underneath the sweet façade of her face; she was just as terrible as the Otokage, who slaughtered those who fought to protect her homeland. She lowered her lashes thinking how she could become this thing, how Otogakure could draw out the demon in her to act upon its ruler. "You're… you're quite taken with him, aren't you?" Sakura nearly lost her footing with that remark.

Bright green turned to spring blue, there was almost a sly hint of expression in those eyes. "Excuse me?" She partly felt offended for such implications; she certainly did not have any feelings for the man that used her so lightheartedly. It was strictly business between them an exchange of desires, the Otokage's death for her freedom and safety.

"Well, I mean… its not my place to say such things, but he left the library moments before you and when I saw you come out of the library… it just looks like the two of you have a secret, that's all and the way you just spoke of him a moment ago. Maybe if Sasuke-kun knew about the two of you he might… grant your freedom?" Ino was too hopeful, the idea seemed plausibly and if he accepted it… she would not have to kill him. Sakura dismissed the idea as quickly as Ino presented it, she would have to hold up her end of the bargain, make it believable, Sai was more interested in assuming the throne then settling down and Sakura loved Neji.

"Well, you're mistaken, you seem to forget I have a man I love very much waiting for me in Konohagakure. With Sai-san, I just feel as though I found someone who understands my predicament."

"Clearly, I don't understand him. He dislikes the Otokage, his own cousin so obviously, why doesn't he just build himself a manor in the perimeter of Otogakure, outside the walls?" Sakura thought a moment on Ino's question. Sai had more freedom than she did, indeed. He could roam around the palace without someone trailing after him, but than again, he was not a woman in a palace where men outnumbered the women, but Ino was and she walked around without someone standing over her shoulder, but than again, she was not a prisoner.

"I think, Sai-san, might be like me, someone trapped within walls and he can't seem to find the means of escape, much like myself." Ino obviously never thought of Sai in that light before, she looked regretful once again, Sakura did not know she had that kind of persuasion, perhaps it was why, even though she hated what he was putting her up to, that she could go along with the conspiracy.

The sound of heavy, fast-paced footfalls pulled Ino and Sakura from the conversation at hand, the sound was coming from in front of them, above them in fact. They paused in their own steps, listening as accelerated breathing soon joined the running sound. Sakura looked at Ino who returned the glance briefly before both turned their attention back to the sound. The first thing that came into view was that shock of orange hair, familiar only to Sakura because he came to her that morning with the Otokage's letter addressed to her.

"Juugo…?" Ino questioned. Her voice was soft. Now his face and neck upon his broad shoulders came into view. Soon his entire body appeared at the top of the stairs before he bounded down them, skipping steps as much as possible without tripping. The man did not seem to slow, the look on his face portrayed urgency. Sakura looked from the man Ino called Juugo to the blond-haired woman at her side.

Sakura grabbed Ino by the arm and pulled her to the side, pulling her out of the path of the racing man as big as a horse. A soft breeze brushed against them as he raced past the two women and straight on. Sakura opened her eyes to see Ino pushing herself away from her and the wall and started after Juugo. "Ino…!"

"Something is wrong; Juugo never hurries unless something has happened!" Ino explained, looking over her shoulder quickly before continuing after Juugo. The giant had long since turned the corner and now Ino was disappearing behind the protruding angle of the wall as well. Sakura's own curiosity sparked when she decided to follow them. She did not move as urgently as the other two, but she followed, letting the sound of their scurrying feet guide her.

The sound led her to a darken corridor that Sasuke never showed her when he gave her a tour of his domicile. The sound died, but a new sound, one of a creaking door echoed through the tight corridor. Sakura saw the light and then she saw the shadowed contour of Ino's dress. Sakura walked closer until she could hear their voices. "Quickly, Kabuto-sama," Juugo said, his voice thick with breathlessness, "Orochimaru expressed the urgency of your presence."

"Juugo…!" Ino snapped. There was stress added to her voice, Sakura could hear the tears straining her words. "What's going on, why do you need Kabuto?" Sakura touched the cold wall of the corridor with her fingers and then her forehead, listening to the words that would or would not come next.

"If we don't Sasuke-dono could die, right now his life is hanging by a thread." Sakura closed her eyes and exhaled sharply, she did not know how to feel but was somewhat relived that perhaps she would not have to take a life.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sure I know what's running through most of your minds after reading this chapter. Get to the good stuff. I'm going as fast as I can, I really wanted the most desired scene to emerge in chapter seven, which is the next chapter, obviously.**

**A little side note, this chapter was slightly inspired by a readers misconception of Orochimaru's role in this story. Somehow the impression that Orochimaru is or ever could be consider a good guy arose. I'd like to set the record straight and hopefully the interaction between them showed just how much Orochimaru really is a snake in the grass.**

**I blame Orochimaru as much as Itachi, after all, I believe he is more at fault for Sasuke's recent character development. He is the one that infected Sasuke with the Ten No Juin and the one who egged him on about not keeping or fulfilling his promise to himself about his Clan.**

**I would also like to mention the hell you all put me through with this chpater, lol. You really had me worried with this chapter. I felt with the lack of rushed reviews I usually get when I put out a story that I did so horrific a job that no saw fit to review it and I had worked so hard it nealy made me discontinue the story, I had never failed so miserbly before, but when the reviews started coming in my anixy decreased. I think you like to torture me as much as I torture you with lack of SasuSaku-ness. I would like to give extra thanks to Gone Fishing/Gemma and Laurapen90 for being the first to ease my anixty of the last chapters, near impending doom.**


	7. Sinner

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property and creation of Kishimoto Masashi. I own none of the characters or the places mentioned in this story.**

**Acknowledgements and Thank you's:**

**keiko-uchiha**: I'm very glad to hear how much you're enjoying the story as for SasuSaku, just read onward.  
**cutecrazyice  
****dino girl  
****missimpossible1352  
****DivineSunSHiNE.  
****mednin  
****Princess of drama**: Maybe I'll go see the movie. I just can't get myself to read the book. I'm that way with Harry Potter, can't read the books, but I enjoy the movies.  
**aznangel101  
****pink-strawberries**: Well first off, I'm honored to how you view my story, truly and secondly, I just about think you're the only one that feels that way, some people might view that as too OOC, but as I've learned, I can please a majority of people, but I can't please everyone.  
**anon**: Glad to hear.  
**Spread-My-Wingz-And-Soar**: Good, that was the message I was trying to contrive  
**Jes148**: You and me both. I bet you can't stand the manga so far, since they've been apart for the whole of it since the reunion.  
**Laurapen90**: Ouch, I'm wounded, kidding! Thank you for the kudos and kind words.  
**Laura-chan**: Sakura's gonna do, what's Sakura's gotta do. I heard Anette sing Nemo… Oh, no I did not like it, that song was definitely written to fit Tarja's lyrical voice. Tuomas knows how to write music for his singers, every song he wrote when they were old Nightwish fit to Tarja's voice perfectly, just as every song he has written for New Nightwish has met Anette's softer voice. I do, my ex burned the CD for me first and after we broke up and it was finally released in store, I picked it up immediately, she looks wonderful in her pictures as the Phoenix and the Ice Queen and I love all her songs, you should listen to Damned Vampires and Gothic Divine and of course I walk alone, the other songs are great, but those to are my absolute favorite. Even though the new Nightwish has grown on me Tarja will always be what was the best part of Nightwish, they all complimented each other nicely.  
**Ben's Wife**: Thank you for having faith in me and your compliments as well, they make me feel like what I'm doing is worth any bad reviews that come my way.  
**orangeco  
****AnimeMangaFreak**: Well when you only see two reviews for a chapter in a great length of time, your confidence tends to take a shock, but the next day more reviews popped up and my relief washed away my doubts.  
**moonlover19  
****Twinnet**: well, read on and you'll see something.  
**luna estrlla  
****TheBeastlyKunoichi**: Nah, I didn't see it as flush, just saw it as hormones. I don't really have a problem with Karin, I just have a problem with her being a potential love-interest for Sasuke, Really, Sakura's the only girl that looks good with Sasuke.  
**dominiqueanne  
****Rene2**: Well, no, I thought it was just silly and I might get made fun of it for like the scene with Sasuke and Kiba… but I'm glad you think it was justly done. Sorry about Ino and Sakura, I didn't know where to go with them, so I just tried to fill space. As For Karin, I just know she wants him and even though I don't care or the scene in the manga between Karin and Sasuke, I could see her devotion to his well-being. I always known the difference between Ed and Sasuke, but it was also written differently, with Ed its meant to so that no one is truly alone Ed has people in his life, especially his brother who will always be there for him and with Sasuke, even though he has these things, he can't accept them, because his family was murder, by his brother, who forced him to relive it more than once in some sick and twisted perversion of what he believed was good for his brother…  
**Crazy Emo Gurl  
****SasuxSakufan  
****inu-baby girl**: I don't know how you know, but you know and I have to ask if you have some kind of mind-reading powers? The only question I can answer for you is… I doubt Naruto or Kakashi will make an appearance in this story. Actually chapter six is longer than my previous chapters, which surprised the hell out of me, my intentions were for 8000 words, not 9000.  
**candyluver**: It's sex, they're having sex, no don't cover you ears! Lol. I think Sasuke smart, just didn't have appropriate choices until Sakura came along.  
**Blondexx16**: Breathe in, breathe out and read on. I doubt any character I've placed on the Konoha side will make any more appearances.  
**Zencry**: I would ask you to refrain from this method or chose another word which I can tolerate a little better, like up-date or love it. I don't wish to see for my reviews names of vegetables  
**artemis-the-black-witch**: I'll see what I can do about the Karin annoyance.  
**xloser21**: Sometimes I don't care if I disappoint my readers, cause if they can't take the time to review, then I just shrug my shoulders and think the story isn't making progress, I've deleted stories less than successful before. I'll tell you what I've told others asking about Neji… No Neji, save for dreams, flashbacks, name-dropping, you want Neji, I have other stories that debut him. Sure he's doing something, you just won't be witnessed to it.  
**Pinny  
****tiktakz**: There will be no eliminating of Karin, might stop mentioning her, might not.  
**HitsugayaLuver8  
****mintxrain**: me too.  
**Nikki-4**: Good, I don't want anyone perceiving Orochimaru as a good guy.  
**ms.heartbroken**: Yeah, too bad.  
**GakiNoTsukai**: You're quite the contradiction. I suppose then I'll just not bring Itachi about, because I can't forgive him and thus I won't ever see him in a shining light.  
**fleeting thought  
****Mybloodyday**: Me likey way you talky… lol!  
**lunabelle0**: Then we're agreed, Orochimaru is the bigger bitch! I've read a great portion of the manga though I'm totally bias and mainly read whatever pertains to Sasuke and or Sakura, so as long as Sasuke's face is in it, I'm all down for reading it, he's so good looking. Naruto is the Hokage, but I doubt he'll be mentioned by name in this story. I'm afraid I'll be staying out of Konoha and focusing solely on Sasuke and Sakura in Otogakure.  
**HannahsaurusRexLovesKiba  
****Tenshihana- -Unyield Wish**: I went right away to check it out as soon as you asked, and I squealed, then proceeded to faint, notice how Sasuke views Sakura in a more up to date version than Naruto. I hope you're pleased with this chapter.

* * *

_The beauty is like a star and the beast is like a black hole that's pulling her towards it, though it doesn't dare devour her. Her radiant beauty deactivates the force of the monster._

…

_With both her hands bounded in cold metallic manacles, the stiff iron chains stretched her arms aloft. Tears streamed down her eyes, making her eyelashes stick together, every muscle in her body ached and her clothes were filthy and tattered from where he tore at her skirt to ravish her with an unruly abundance. There were bruises on her cheeks, her arms and hidden under the cloth of her old dress._

_Quite sobs shook her lower lip and fluttered her eyelids. Sai betrayed her, he promised he would be there to save her and yet he let this happen. They had caught her trying to murder the Otokage and Sai stepped into the shadows, leaving the Otokage to lock her up in the dungeon and thusly leaving her to that _man_. He hurt her, took her body by force, laughing in her face with such vulgarity whispered into her ears._

_The door creaked open and she stiffened, working the manacles vainly, the metallic clangor of the chain echoing in the cold, damp and empty cell. She heard the soft clicking of boot heels approaching her from the short distance from the door to her. She drew her legs up until her knees pressed against her sore breasts. She did not want him to rape her again, it was too painful, emotionally damaging. "Sakura…" she flinched, it was strange the way he said her name._

_There usually laid an undertone of mockery when he talked to her and he never called her by her name, he always had some uncouth epithet for her. Therefore, it made her almost curious, enough so that she opened her eyes and just then all the weight fell from her shoulders, her face going slack with all the tears that rushed to her eyes and down her face. "Neji…" she whimpered, moving her arms futilely._

_He looked exhausted and thrashed, but he staggered forward, his sword held tightly in his hands with blood straining the flat metal. He walked over to her and dropped to his knees in front of her. She shook her head, closing her eyes; she wanted him not to be there, not to see her as she was, some used-up doll, when she should have been his first. "Neji, no…" she whined, wishing she could cover herself more than she was able to._

"_Sakura… Sakura, I'm so sorry," he said, his voice breaking with unshed tears. It made her sob harder at his apology. It was not his fault. She could never blame him for she loved him too much. "I should have been here… I should have-"_

"_No! No, Neji, please, stop!" she cried harder as she heard his breath come out exerted, she could hear him sobbing, his hair tumbling over his shoulders and touching her knees. She closed her eyes tighter, not wanting to bear his pain over her state. She did not want him to be disgusted with her, because she was no longer clean, no longer his untainted bride._

"_Sakura… Sakura, I love you." She bit her lip and then stopped when she felt his damp hands slide over her cheeks, smearing blood against her bruised cheeks. She opened her eyes and fear and horror replaced the grief in her eyes. She screamed as she looked upon his face, his grinning face and cruel eyes. "You're mine, little princess."_

Sakura's eyes burst open. It was not the first night she had that traumatic dream, it must have been the fifth if not the seventh time that dream had infested her sleep. She was lying flat on her back, staring up at the muted grayness of her canopied bed. Muted colors swallowed her chambers: curtains drawn, candles snuffed, darkness was the appropriate color for her mood. It fit her hopes and her anger, the night outside and the Otokage's eyes and hair. She had enough of black.

Sakura laid there a few more minutes in the stillness of the night, waiting for her breathing to quell its raggedness. She swallowed deeply moistening her dry throat and clenched the mattress covering under her. Tonight, she remembered, was the night she was to leave the refuge of her room and commit an act she once believed unimaginable. Before doubts and fears consumed her, she had hoped previously that fate would not subject her to this madness, that it might allow nature to overrule medicinal intervention.

Such was not her luck. Ino informed her tearfully that Kabuto, the Otokage's physician, saved his life, leaving him unconscious and incapacitated until further notice, but alive. He was alive and recovering and with the knowledge, Sakura proceeded with Sai's instruction. Everyday Sakura walked a variety of different paths that led her to the same destination, the chambers of the Otokage.

She walked the appropriate path, it was not exactly the quickest, but it was the safest. This path hailed less guards, there were more turns and more stairs but she watched the guards, they never turned from the post even when she walked the path in the daylight hours. They stood their ground and from their perspective more soldiers, guards and help rallied from their frontal direction and not the path Sakura treaded.

With her guard trailing her, Sakura merely pretended to backtrack, but ended up at the long corridor that led to the Otokage's chambers. She took note of the structure of the wall; its design was much like the formation of an aqueduct with large gapping arches. She never overstepped, she could see the guard, Juugo, down the hall positioned in the middle. She decided if she were careful enough, she might be able to use a stealthy technique and take advantage of the shadows a make towards the doors that harbored the Otokage.

The more she tracked the path her fear and doubts left her, when she had her route mapped out and had her course reassured the day before she was to consolidate with Sai she felt confident of her itinerary. However, nothing replaced the fear or doubts, to do the unthinkable she had to void out her thoughts because she would either fail, meeting with a very real fatal consequence or she would succeed and meet her desired reward.

Darkness was also the appropriate color for the events that would soon unfold. She took a deep breath and thought it all over one last time. She knew well enough that with this undertaking, she was courting the eternal blackness of death, but she thought it all over once more nonetheless.

"Ok." She breathed softly to herself within the stillness of her room. She closed her eyes and lifted her hand up from under the covers, bringing all concentration to her hands as she began walking her fingers along the mattress of the bed until she felt the hardness of the bedside table. Ascending her fingers she touched the surface, bumping fingers lightly against the water pitcher then the small sheath disguised as a fan mount.

Carefully she wrapped her fingers around the tantō and slowly brought it close to her heart. She opened her eyes and looked at the sheath of the tantō. No one knew what the knife represented to her. The blade hidden inside symbolized her freedom in more than one way. All she had to do was plunge the blade into a vital section, killing the Otokage painfully and quickly and she would find herself on her way back to Konohagakure, courtesy of Sai, but not only would it initiate her own freedom but Neji's and any solider fighting to protect their home and loved ones.

She thought of Neji and seeing his face again, tried to imagine their reunion, how his fingers would glide over her cheeks and into her hair, how he would kiss her and marry her straight away. Her freedom for his, would they ever be together again? She had to believe that with the Otokage's death the answer would be obvious. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were before the war.

She remembered how they would play together in the field; he would have her hide and would give her a few minutes to find a place before he tracked her down. He was always the hunter while she was the prey. She would laugh when he found her, because he would ambush her, lift her in his arms and tickle her until she was breathless and pleading for mercy.

He would kiss her then, so deeply that she thought she might drown within his kiss and somehow in the end the notion seemed pleasantly all right with her. After their play, they would go to the solar and have tea and honey-cakes. She missed her family and her carefree life, she missed Neji and she missed that life powerfully enough to follow through with Sai's plan. Slowly sitting up against the pillows, Sakura removed the sheets tangled around her and clutched tightly at the tantō.

Deftly, Sakura slipped off the bed and placed both feet softly and securely onto the cold floor beneath her. With her feet on the floor, she carefully shifted them so she was walking towards the door just across the way. As she reached the door, she held her breath inside her throat and chest, feeling the pressure there, trying not to alert the guard that stood just beyond the door.

Her fingers fell onto the door handle lightly and she exhaled softly before inhaling deeply and just as quietly. She felt her hand shake slightly as she wrapped her fingers around the handle and pulled. Softly it opened, without a sound. She held the door slightly ajar, enough so she could peek out. Her body quaked, begging her to exhale, to breathe normally, but she refused.

There, just a few feet away from the opposite side of the door, stood the guard with his back to her. True to his word, Sai had the former guard that watched her replaced. As Sai had it told, he witnessed enough of the guard's cruelty and reported his sighting to Juugo to relay his concerns to the Otokage. Sai never informed Sakura of the former guard's relocation or termination and she never asked.

The new guard that replaced the former was indifferent to his task. He followed Sakura without a word to her, he was never on her heels and he always kept them within arms length of one another. He only spoke to her when he felt it was necessary, one such occasion was during her routine walk. He diverted her with a stern word when he considered that she was too close to the hall that led to the Otokage's chambers.

Juugo, it seemed, was not the only one discouraging visitors from the Otokage. However, Sakura was glad to be relieved of the previous, boorish guard. Still with her eyes on her new guard, she discovered that this guard was a man with a taste for intoxicating drink. Sakura watched as he fished out a leather container filled with something that he brought to his lips and titled his head back to retrieve.

She supposed it was some of his wine if nothing stronger. She shook her head slowly and stepped back from the door, she needed to draw him away from the door, somehow so she could slip out. She stood behind the slightly ajar door, breathing soundlessly as she traced her fingers over the thin chain that supported the ring of Neji's father. A thought came into her mind and she looked down at the tantō, took it between her hands and pried off the sheath before exhaling and taking in another deep breath.

She walked back to the door to see the guard still had his back turned to her. She opened the door a little more widely so that she could get her arm out enough so she could toss the sheath. Sakura spun around, out of the view of the doorway and closed her eyes, hoping she threw it far enough and undetected. She heard it clatter softly before she heard the heels of the guard's boots moving further away from the door. Sakura peered over the edge and watched the guard walk towards the sound of where the covering for the tantō must have fell.

Sakura thanked the guard for his overconfidence in assuming that she was a mere docile child fast asleep under her covers. Shouldering misgivings aside, having no use in them, Sakura took her chance. Taking a deep breath, she slipped out from the fissure of the door and pressed it silently shut behind her, there was enough given space between the guard investigating the strange noise coming from the shadows and herself.

Sakura ran towards the stairs and climbed up them until she could melt against the wall of stone and hold her breath. She counted backwards in her mind and then hurried down the hall until she reached the end and came to another intersection not thirty paces away. Sakura had retraced this path hundreds of times before the month's end and even in the dark she knew she would take the first right.

She came across another set of stairs and without stopping; she lifted her feet off the ground and onto the first cold stone step that led up to the second floor. Sakura's bare feet slapped hard against the stone floor, only a strip of red carpeting covered the night-darken stone. Sakura glanced around and pressed her hands to the wall, feeling her way through the darkness down the corridor.

Black helped, too, getting through the castle halls and stair passages to the Otokage's rooms. There were no guards on this path, except for the ones who faced away from her. She crept passed the first four guards on either side of her route and paused only when she reached the next level of the castle. She pressed her back against the wall, breathing now, having denied herself the oxygen her body so desperately craved.

Her hand was slick with perspiration from holding so tightly to the handle of the tantō. Her heart under her ribs felt as though each painful beat sounded from all around her down to the sleeping ears of the Otokage. She shivered, not from fear but from the lack of warmth, it seemed the further she got from her chambers the colder it became, not to mention that her nightdress was the only proper attire for the bloody task. The skirts of the dresses the Otokage imposed upon her would only serve to get in her way.

The form of her nightdress was simple and sleeveless with a formfitting A-line skirt that stopped at her ankles and a silken white ribbon that tied at the stomach of her nightdress, it was the most practical piece of clothing she owned for such a task, it was easier to move quickly in. Sakura closed her eyes, thinking to herself, afraid to even whisper in the night, that she was doing this to see Neji.

Her hand came up and she pressed and worked her fingers around the ring he had given her before he went off to fight in this maddening war. She clutched it tightly, thinking of Neji, moving her lips, soundlessly telling herself that she was doing this to get back to him. Knowing she had no time for idling she opened her eyes and pushed her weight off the wall and wiped her forehead, moving her loose hair off her face. She smoothed her hands down the skirt of her nightdress and ran as quickly and as quietly as possible down the hallway.

There were a few tense moments on the way down to the next hallway, glimpsing servants and Otokage's guards here and there. However, it was very late and no one was looking for a captive woman in the hallways and stairwells. There was not much distance between her and her objective now, she only had a few more steps and turns to take. So far, she was making great time.

The moonlight swept over her as she entered the hall with many large, moonlight flooded, windows that started from the entrance and ended at the formation of a new set of stairs. Here was her last hallway to the Otokage's chambers. It was such an open space that the only place for her to hide was near the wall, behind any of the thick dark blue tapestries of the red and white uchiwas upholstered between each of the massive windows.

She could not allow herself detection now, she had come so far and this was her only chance. There would be no others, because her second chance vanished as soon as she made it up the first set of stairs past her guard. She had a deadly weapon in her hand and there would be no room for other conclusions with an imprisoned outsider. As hard as it was for her to believe that she had come this far, that she was willing to go through with it, she knew that once she stepped foot outside her door there could be no turnabouts.

She stopped running when she reached the fifth window closest the stairs. She inhaled deeply knowing that soon she would come up against a patrolling night watchman. She watched him several times, estimated how long it took him to travel to one end of his vicinity to the other almost forty paces in each direction. The glint of the unsheathed tantō blade caught her eye and she drew it closer to her, laying the blade flat against her thigh and out of the moon's light.

Suddenly Sakura froze, something was different, something she had not predicted before this night. Her eyes widen and her breath left her in a rush as she heard faint murmuring coming from her forefront. She could not move, her muscle tensed up, her hand, which held the blade, shook terribly. Her skin felt like she was standing too close to a crackling fire, flicking off sparks, making her flesh burn. She lifted her free hand to her mouth to mute her erratic breathing; fear was getting the better of her. She thought she removed these feelings.

The murmuring was clearer, she could not catch the words, but she could distinguish the voice, a man, soft and deep. It was _that_ man. She knew his voice anywhere. It riddled her mind with nightmares most nights, like tonight, depriving her of a restful sleep. She hated that voice; it made her blood run cold and her heart thump as if to sound her impending doom. She closed her eyes, speaking to herself in her mind, pleading for her body to move, to obey and find cover. She could not let that man find her, not _him_!

She did not know what force it took to move her foot back, but it was just one, she needed both to step and not just one slow, short pace, but it was enough to raise her mettle. Her other foot decided then to obey her and she hurried over to the tapestry covered wall, lifted it and hid behind the thickness of the upholstery, allowing her body to sink in with the shadows.

Holding her breath and trying not to shake, she listened as the voice became clearer and louder, allowing her to listen in on the conversation. "So another cold and lonely night for you, huh, how many nights is that now?" The man she feared inquired to his companion, with a snide chuckle.

"Shut up, you bastard!" the woman spat, Sakura recognized the woman's voice as Karin's. Her words were harsh and bitter and he only sniggered in response, louder as she continued. "He's seriously injured; you know that, as well as I do." He clucked his tongue at her and she scoffed, they stopped moving.

Swallowing her fear, Sakura carefully inched towards the side of the tapestry, trusting the tapestry's silhouette to conceal her. Sakura peeked from behind the tapestry and with the moonlight flooded over the both of the man and woman, Sakura could see that Karin's look was disgusted and heated, while his was cruel and mocking, as she had often dreamt.

"He's had a month to recover. You would think, I mean with so many of those past women who have visited his bed; he might be lonely for another body to warm him in the chill of the night." He chuckled, a deep sound that came from his chest and sent poisonous shivers to Sakura's tense body. "But then… why would he have just any body, when he could pluck an exotic bloom." He chuckled lowly in the moonlight and Karin snarled.

"I know who you're implicating and if you think Sasuke-dono would entertain the idea of bedding a mere child, you're even more impractical than I thought. He's simply too dignified for what you're so crudely suggesting." He chuckled again, making Karin even more disgusted.

"Well, I'm not. She is a rare beauty, her skin looks so soft and I can just imagine how sweet her flesh is. You can tell she's so innocent, which makes me wonder just how talented and graceful she would be in a man's bed." It was unnerving for Sakura to hear two strangers, especially those she considered her enemies, to speak of her so basely. They spoke of her as if she were simply a brood mare.

She wanted to get away from them. Why were they just standing there? Talking about her like some sort of courtesan? They had to leave; she needed to finish what she set out to do. She wished Sai had gone along with her, but just as she could not be caught neither could Sai be caught out during the night of the supposed murder of the Otokage. "Well, she's simply too young to satisfy Sasuke-dono, maybe she could amuse a stable boy for a few hours, though that seems unlikely in of itself."

"Hmm, if what you say of your precious Otokage, then he'll grow bored of her soon enough and when he does, I'll have my fun with her. That mouth of hers looks promising." Sakura felt sick at this man's appalling suggestion. It was just like her dream, his mind was filled with her, she remembered the first night she came to Otokage, how they had accepted her into their brigade, the way he watched her, his eyes were always on her as if he could see deep into her that part of her that she wished only Neji to see.

Sakura could hardly contain the retch that threatened to sound at the mere thought of whatever this man planned to do with her if given the chance. "If you were more like Sasuke-dono… what am I saying, you're vile and I don't want to hear anymore about that little usurper. I'm going to bed and you- you should be, well, whatever it is you should be doing!" With that, Karin stormed off, leaving him behind, his hands on his hips as he smiled a grin that sent dreadful shivers down Sakura's spine once again.

Now she begged in her mind for him to go away, he looked in her direction and she closed her eyes, squeezing them shut. She heard the soft dulled sound of boots, moving. He found her! No! She could not let him find her. She was afraid. She waited, afraid, her heart speeding up, knowing that he was a mere inch from her face, looking upon her, waiting for her to open her eyes so he could smile in her face.

With each fearful passing moment of nothingness, slowly, she opened her eyes, but he was not there. No one was. The relief that went through her brought tears to her eyes. Sakura fisted her eyes dry. She had never been so afraid before, she would never show her fear, but there was no need. He was gone and she was alone in the hallway, under the cover of shadows and a tapestry. Determination took over for fear in her mind; she would not allow herself to become anyone's rut. She was going to be Neji's wife. She would kill the Otokage, end this war and return to the arms of the man she loved.

When Sakura felt it was safe enough to emerge from her hiding space, she clasped the hilt of the tantō and continued her journey. She missed the night watchman and she only looked back once. She climbed the very last of stairs and found herself at the hall of the Otokage. She used the blade of the tantō, which she found surprisingly reflective, to glimpse the corner.

Juugo stood before the doors, looking well rested. She needed to draw him away, as she had with the first guard. How was it that everything seemed easier before she came to this point? She did not know how to distract him; he did not seem the type who would leave his post to investigate a little noise and if she caused a large amount of noise, she would draw more than just his attention.

The only thing she had left to do was slinking between each of the gapping archways. She turned back and then down the hall that formed the wall of the corridor opposite of where Juugo stood guard. She brought her body low to the ground, trying to recall the count of archways until she reached the doors. Fourteen, she was sure, she couldn't be wrong, she had no room for mistakes, not now, not with standing so close to her destination.

She moved slowly, almost on the tips of her toes, running her hand blindly along the wall until she felt her hand slip and give way to air. This was the first arch. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her body high enough to rush the next arch for cover. This was taking too much time, but there was no way around it, this was something she had to endure if she hoped for no detection.

She was at the position where Juugo stood, she watched him from the corner, waited for him to blink or avert his eyes, when he looked up for a second she rushed over the next archway and stood and pressed against the side where Juugo stepped forward. She closed her eyes and waited for the sound of his boot heels, they were moving back to where he started and she slowly inched back around.

Her chest hurt and her nosed burned, denying her lungs air; she had to get past Juugo before she felt it was safe enough to exhale, to breath normally. She opened her eyes to see the moonlight streaming into the last archway. Fourteen, what a relief to know she was right in her estimation. Sakura repeated the method of her stealth movement until she reached that finally archway.

She ascended, standing again, pressing back against the wall, giving herself a moment to breathe. She inhaled again and slowly, without breathing Sakura leaned into the opening and found her eyes staring at the back of Juugo's head, a good seven paces between her and him.

She looked to her left, the distance between her and the door that led to the Otokage's chambers was one single step away. Keeping an eye on Juugo, Sakura reached forward until her fingers met with the cool metal of the door handles. Slowly she pulled on them, turning her attention away, until the door was wide enough for her to slip into the room. She looked back and carefully and quietly shut the door behind her, thankful they maintained the doors here well enough to make no creaking noises.

When she was secure in the Otokage's darkened chambers, she leaned against the doors, savoring her small victory before she recalled the first time the Otokage gave her a tour of his domicile. She had made a silent promise to immediately that she would never find herself in this part of her prison disguised as a palace. Yet here she was, drawn here under the circumstances that pertained to her promising freedom. Exercising caution, she looked around the chambers of her captor.

For a moment, she stood motionless, her hand closing tighter around the hilt of the tantō blade she carried with her all the way from her rooms to the Otokage's rooms. She rewarded her lungs with air, breathing softly. She did not care if the Otokage woke; she saw the way he looked at her. It was no different then the way that other man looked at her, only when he looked at her, she was not afraid. He was decent enough after all.

Breathing softly, Sakura looked about the massive room. There were candleholders, tables for reading and shelving books, chairs, a decorative rug, a massive bed, and a wonderfully crafted hearth and yet, the room somehow felt empty, and yet it did not surprise her. The only other thing that surprised was that the door was unlocked. She supposed he found her to not be a threat and secure enough in his own home, and perhaps that Juugo was reliable in barring the way.

She needed a second to adjust as she had never killed anyone before, that much was clear, but all she could think of was that killing this man meant so much to so many, it meant the end of a war, it meant so many lives would be spared. Lovers, brothers, uncles, fathers, nephews, cousins and sons, they could all return to the ones they fought to protect. She thought back on what Neji so horribly described to her once: cut off the head and the body falls.

Clenching the tantō and the ring about her neck, she knew this was it, the moment she had planned so long with encouragement from Sai. Could she do it?

Thoughts left her like a summer breeze when she heard the soft rustling of sheets coming from the massive bed. It was a quick turn of rumpled sheets and then he rose, almost as if materializing from the shadows of his canopied four-poster bed. The moonlight highlighted his silhouette and the shadows obscured his face. She watched as one of his legs bent under the sheets, his arm moving to drape over his knee swathed under white sheets illuminated by the moon.

He hunched over his knee, as he did the moonlight spilled over him, revealing a display of amused amazement across his handsome features, his dark eyes sparking with soundless laughter. Sakura watched him, bringing her arm back to hide the tantō behind her. She tightened the hilt enclosed in her fist, stifling her nervousness. He spoke first, "Lady Haruno, what an unexpected surprise. You force me to admit that you are an extraordinary and clever woman. To find you here in my chambers at this time of night has left me quite astonished, for not only have you slipped past the sentry that guards your room, but you have skulk past all of my sentinels as well."

He was going to be the only one to speak, she had no intentions of engaging conversation with the man she was about to kill. He looked as though he was about to applaud her, she simple stared in return of his appraisal. He stared back just as intently letting the silence past between them as if she would turn around a leave soon. Sakura stood perfectly still; she wanted him to come to her so that she could plunge the blade into a vital area. She knew all about the body, after all, she spent enough time with the Hokage's physician before the war began.

She watched him as he watched her, suddenly his hand pulled at the white sheets, lifting them and pulling them back, untangling them from around his legs and lap and he swung his legs down and off the bed until they touched the floor. As they made contact, he lifted his body up and off the bed, revealing that he wore nothing more than a pair of black slacks that hugged his hips and legs perfectly; she could even hear the fabric rub together as he walked.

Impossible graceful gliding steps brought him closer to Sakura, like a ghost in the fog. The closer he approached the more she noticed of his near nakedness. His torso was bare, revealing a well-defined chest and two strong arms. Sakura felt a waver shoot through her nerves the more distance he covered between the two of them. He possessed a warrior's body, lean, strong, agile, perfection woven into every fiber of his being.

His eyes were like blots of ink and as comparable to the night sky as his hair was, within the pale cool light of the silvery moon, she could see the less than subtle blue highlights that graced his hair that just touched the edges of his jaw without reaching past his nape. For the strangest reason, he seemed to accentuate the night.

She stayed perfectly still, her shoulders stiffening. She wanted him to be within a few inches of her so she could catch him off-guard. Once he was in touching proximity she could see upon his arms and torso where the moonlight highlighted little white scars from other attempts on his life. She looked up at his handsome face, his dark eyes focused solely on her eyes.

"So, one has to wonder, why you've come here, Sakura, what are your intentions?" She did not respond. She kept her sharp tongue detained. He scoffed, as she remained motionless before him, she held back a flinch as he lifted his lean and powerful arms, resting the palms of his hands against the door on either side of her head, trapping her between him and his arms. She was scared, but she would not let him know it.

She brought her arms forward, lifting them up without touching him from his thighs to his ribs slowly while they watched each other's eyes as if mesmerized by the color. He gave her a smug smirk as he lifted both brows quickly. "Again you leave me in awe, wife of my enemy." His face was very close to hers now and even with her heart pacing speedily, she maintained her composure. "I would have never guessed you for an assassin, I assumed you for a runaway. I never knew you had it in you."

Sakura pressed the tip of the blade into the small of his back, close to the spine. The pressure of the pointed tip pinched the nerves of his back. "You underestimated me for petty reasons." A soft chuckle tickled from his lips and Sakura could not stop her eyes from narrowing and her mouth from tightening as he chuckled. "What have you to laugh about, the way I see it, you're in no position for such luxuries."

"Surely, I just suppose it's the irony that out of thousands of men, an army itself, a lady… whom I can accurately assume has never killed a chicken, let alone a man would steal their glory by assassinating the Otokage, their enemy prince of much military perspicaciousness."

"You talk too big; it only sounds as though you're gloating." He shrugged his shoulders; it was enough to frustrate her so that she pushed the tip of the sharp blade harder against him without breaking the skin. She could feel his body bow to the pressure, his fingers curl at the sharp pain.

"Go on then, a chance like this… comes only once." Before she could anticipate the move, Sasuke had grasped her weapon-hand and forced the blade harder against the small of his back, causing her to gasp as she felt the blade sink into his flesh, drawing blood. "Do it!"

"If I don't this war will never end, you don't seek peace, you seek destruction and if you continue to breathe and led this army only death will be the end result, more will die."

"Many lives will end, your reasons are sound. Nothing is easier than to take a man's life, especially if you believe that you are doing the world justice. Do it!" She glared at him, but no more words would come to her lips, a full minute of silence followed, her arm stayed at his back, supported only by his firm hand. They stood there a moment, eyes locked.

Against her knuckles, she could feel the warm wetness of his blood; he was bleeding from where the tip of the blade was cutting into his skin. Slowly he closed in on her, tilting his head to the side. It happened so fast that she hardly registered what had happened at all, making her dizzy with the notion. Sakura caught her breath and tried to turn her face away. He sought her mouth blindly, smirking when her lips opened to his, slowly, delicately.

She tasted like a sweet oasis of cool spring water. He wrapped his arms around her waist, releasing her hand, her fingers relaxed, releasing the tantō, which fell clattering to the floor. Sasuke glided his hand down the curves of her body, coaxing her thigh up so her knee crooked around his hip so he could lift her high above him. She cried out, a word that might have been anything. He answered with her name. She captured his face as he ran his eager fingers through her strawberry blond hair, never relinquishing his mouth.

A small, choked sound left her throat as his lips sought the fragrant warmth of her neck and shoulder, trembling as no woman had ever made him do. She dug both hands into his hair and pulled his head up, her eyes held a reckless fire. He pushed his mouth against hers, her hands still on either side of his face. He kissed her, his lips pressing against hers like the kind of summer heat that clings to the body.

His tongue parted her lips and slipped into her mouth, rolling in the wet warmth of her mouth, gliding over her tongue. It was electric. She shuddered in his arms from the feel of his mouth. She twisted her hands in his hair, pulling him closer. The emotions rushing through her were of anger, hurt and betrayal, none of it directed at Neji, all of it simply directed at her and him, the prince of Otogakure who held her up in his arms, kissing her.

Sakura didn't know who she was, because the person she was before would never allow for this, she would call for help, scream, or make a scene- anything to contrast her innocence and faithfulness to Neji with this man's lust, but she couldn't stop herself. He was so beautiful, with beautiful black eyes, which reflected sin itself. She could not deny the attraction so she covered it with hate, which mostly worked until now.

She hated him, for the killings and the war and twisting her life into this, whatever it was, that could only happen in one of her romantic novels. She let her silent hate and indifference protect her and now there was nothing to protect her. Innocence was not the real reason her eyes refused to meet his, no, it was because she wanted him. It was just that simple. She wanted his strong arms around her, his lips crushing against her and the weight of his body pushing against her.

His lips bruised her roughly, a throaty moan shuddering through him. Allowing his mantle of control to slip free he pushed her back against the door. The skirt of her nightdress bunching up at her hips, permitting his large hands to caress the curves of her exposed legs.

His fingers dug into her hips and without warning, his hands lifted to the back swell of her hips, squeezing before jolting her off the door and onto him as he spun them around quickly, making her head dizzy once more. She clung to him, working her mouth against his as he started walking. For a moment, their mouths separated and she opened her eyes, breathless, looking into his stormy gaze as he lowered her onto his mattress.

His lips came back to hers touching lightly, tentatively, waiting for her to shove him away, refuse him. She could taste his apprehension. Her mind whirled with uncertainty and then… she put her arms around him and a moan of relief trickled from his chest and past his lips sealed over hers.

Breaking the kiss, he withdrew enough so their bodies no longer touched. He brought his gaze to the ribbon that held her gown snug to her body. She lowered her arms, propping herself up on her elbows, watching his fingers work dexterously, with an elegant ease, that for some reason made things all over her body tighten.

When he had the ribbon loose, he lifted the gown up and her arms stretched above her as he removed the nightdress. Her body arched and stretched as the fabric brushed against her skin. She tucked her chin to her chest as he pulled the nightdress over her back, shoulders and head. He pulled the gown up until she was free, leaving her exposed to his sinfully shadowy eyes.

Sasuke looked down at her with a soft, indescribable gaze. She stared back at him, her gaze flickering to his sinewy and hairless chest, his kissable lips and back to his wonderful eyes. He lifted his leg so that his knee rested onto the mattress, using her elbows Sakura dragged her body further onto the bed, giving him more room to join her. Sasuke brought his other leg onto the mattress until he bent over her naked form.

Sakura lifted her hands to the front of his slacks, her hand resting at the waistband. He looked at her patiently until she slowly curled her fingers into the band then brought her other hand up to aid her in pulling at the thin cord of leather, opening the front of his slacks. She pulled them down over his hips and let him do the rest. Sasuke pushed them off with his foot and then kicking them to the floor where he had discarded her nightdress.

He shifted so that he was kneeling before her, his eyes focused on her face, daring her eyes to descend. Sakura froze, suddenly unsure. There was still fire in her, anger at his certainty, his logic, his bravado, his allure. Her eyes traveled down from his handsome face, to his chiseled torso, his flat and toned abdomen to the swell of his groin, his powerful, taut erection.

The Otokage was perfect, in a way that was a little intimidating. She had never seen a man naked like this before, never as exposed before her eyes and yet she knew that this was more than sufficient. She wanted to touch him. She shivered as he dared a touch, his fingertips brushing over her shoulder pausing at the chain around her neck, fingering the ring before descending further down until he came to the soft upper part of her breast. Sakura shivered and glanced up. The look on his face stifled the breath in her throat. Tenderness, need, amazement were a few of the describable emotions that shone in his eyes. "You're just… so beautiful."

Sakura closed her eyes, not because he called her beautiful or that she was embarrassed… well, maybe she was a little embarrassed to be naked with a man who was not her fiancé. She remembered what they had said of him, of the previous woman who graced these beds and of all the things they might have said before her to compliment his figure, his appearance but she would not voice it, she simply lifted her hand to his stomach and brushed her lips against his flesh above her fingertips. He made a deep, satisfying sound.

Sakura could not rationalize her body's desire, he was so handsome and so perfect, almost as though carved from alabaster stone, every muscle, every curve of him pale and perfect, even the scars served to enhance his dark beauty. His hand traveled over the swell of her breast, softly calloused fingers grazing over her flushed skin, thumbs sweeping over a pouting nipple, rising to meet his stroking fingers.

A sharp inhaling hiss filled the empty air as he stroked under her breast and tickled down over the little rise of her otherwise flat tummy. She whimpered lowly as his hand parted her legs and she gave him no resistance, he pressed his cheek against hers and she closed her eyes, parting her mouth as he turned his head to lay another kiss against her awaiting lips.

Sakura thought that attempting to kill a man was frightening enough, but there was no way to describe the fear she felt at this very moment, with a naked man successfully seducing her. His hand worked the outside part of her, which no one gazed upon before much less touched by any man before, not even Neji. She whimpered as his thumb parted the folds under the thatch of pink curls.

Her hand clutched his forearm, not to hinder his ministrations, but to support herself as a rush of tension seized her body. He kissed her lips, working his way to her chin. "Relax," he bade her, stroking the inner folds as heat and wetness rushed out to meet his skilled fingers. Sakura lifted one leg, bending the knee and inadvertently giving him more access.

His lips sucked and kissed their way down her neck, teeth skimming over her collarbone and tongue lapping over the top of her breasts. Sakura opened her eyes, still feeling lightheaded from his caressing fingers and enticing kisses. He drew her up, holding her firmly by her elbow and he kissed her breasts, making her back arch with each press of his mouth. Her skin ached to be touch and every caress of his lips and hands was like a granted wish.

There were no more thoughts of Neji or her betrayal of him, only Sasuke, the Otokage, touching her, kissing her, drawing forth these heavenly responses from her body. She opened her mouth to make a lover's request then stopped, inhaling sharply. He had taken her breast into his mouth and was teasing the nipple with his tongue and teeth. A cloud of lust fogged her thoughts. She gasped, her hand darting up to slide into his thick, feathery black hair.

The lust flared as she felt his erection slid up her thigh. The promise of wicked things to occur in the darkness of his room still hung there, pulsing through every part of her body. Slowly his finger pressed against her wet opening just long enough to make her heart skip. She let out as gasp as he plunged his fingers into her. Deftly his fingers moved inside her, finding the center of her excitement. His mouth moved to her other breast, sucking harder as she fisted his hair, lifting her hips to meet his thrusting fingers.

Biting her lip, Sakura tried to keep from crying out, managing to suppress most of her moans as his fingers pushed in and partly out as she began to perspire. Just as she could feel the waves of her first climax building, the fog lifted and she realized what she was doing. Sakura struggled to pull back from, but his hand on her elbow strengthened and the hand with his fingers wedged inside her kept tight, fingers moving in her.

The climax started to crest again, but she fought to keep it at bay, not wanting to give him her first release. Suddenly his hand stopped and moved away. He kissed up her chest, over her sensitive neck before claiming her lips. With one hand still on her elbow and the other now kneading her waist, Sasuke lowered Sakura onto the mattress until the back of her head touched the pillows behind her, her long, loose pink tresses coloring the otherwise white pillows.

Sasuke's hands ran over her naked body, his body pressed so close to hers that she could feel his heart beating against her chest. She made a small sound, like a whimper as his hands swept over her breasts, cupping them, his thumbs brushed over nipples making Sakura whimper. His mouth found her breast again, his tongue arced across her nipple, fast and wet. Sakura leaned into him and his lips, the feel of his mouth on her was almost too intense, which made her writhe and gasp loudly; she wanted to tell him to stop, and never stop.

A sound similar to a sob escaped her as he released her breast in one long pull, leaving the flesh glistening from his attentions. He gathered her wrists in each hand and shifted his body so that his legs straddled her hips. He looked down at her with a gaze that could freeze a person where they stood. "I can see from your eyes that you would like to pretend I would, but I won't force you, Sakura, all you have to do is tell me no."

She glared at him, but the word never passed her lips. Part of her, a powerful part that responded to his dominate sexuality was eager to discover what other pleasure he might bring to her previously untouched body. He took her silence as permission and dipped over her. He kissed the valley between each breast and her eyes fell closed at the cool, soft touch. He kissed a path down to her navel, where his tongue slid out from between his lips and licked a slow circle around her navel.

A shuddering breath parted her lips as he moved a straight wet line further down, to that part of her more intimate than her breasts. His hands relinquished their hold on her wrists only to fix themselves firmly on her hips. Sakura spread her legs a bit and felt his tongue slide up and into her, where his fingers had wrought burning pleasure to her not only a few moments before.

Sakura gasped, she would have lifted her legs if not for his hands holding her hips down firmly to the mattress. She arched her back as much as he would allow, her head tipping back and her mouth falling open on heavy pants as she stared at the headboard. She was not even married, this was not her marriage bed and yet, she was with a man not her husband, not her fiancé, not Neji in such a lewd position. He gave her deep, sure licks, pushing his tongue deep inside her, pressing a kiss to her after a pass of the tongue from time to time.

This was wrong, but thoughts of right and wrong left her when he added two fingers, twisting them inside her as if to ladle the wetness out of her. The sensation made her see white stars behind her now closed eyes. She moaned and rubbed her legs together, it hurt, but it was such a good hurt. More heat and wetness rushed to meet him, her body betrayed her, but then with the flurry of kisses he pressed along the bare skin of her thigh, so did her mind.

Withdrawing from her body and pushing himself away, she whimpered from the sudden lack of impossible pleasure. However, he amended it by cupping her face and kissing her gently as he pressed her to him. It was suppose to be disgusting, but she could not find it in her heart to be repulsed, tasting herself on his breath. His tongue invaded her mouth, stroking her tongue with his, the tops of her teeth, even the roof of her mouth. He pulled away from her, leaving her panting and weak.

"I wanted this ever since you…" He hesitated and then descended on her with another hungry kiss. Her arms went around his, pulling him close. She knew he wanted her, deep down inside, she knew. She just did not want to admit it because at that time acknowledging his desire meant admitting her own, for him. "Tell me you want this," he breathed, soft and low, "or tell me to stop. Just tell me."

Sakura's voice shook, but her words sounded solid. "I want this…" She surprised herself, but she did not regret it, she could not vouch for after, but right now, what she said was true, she wanted him, she was scared and eager and she needed him, simply needed him. He looked at her, seemingly unsure if what she said was true. She lifted her hands to his face and pulled him in for a gentle, lingering kiss to support her choice.

He kissed her in return, his hand pressing to her naked waist and pulling her against him. His hand slid to her hip and then cupped her from behind, coaxing her to lift her leg. Slowly she did and as she lifted her leg she felt that part of him, taut, stretched and solid press against her. He continued to work her mouth, holding one hand to the tip of her chin as if to distract her with a kiss. She strengthened the kiss, knowing that she would need it; after all, his sheer size was intimidating.

Sakura squeezed her eyes tight as Sasuke shifted his hips up to meet her. He then pressed his hands against her shoulder blades and pushed into her. When he sheathed himself inside her, Sakura's body convulsed. She wretched her head away and blood spurted in her mouth, salty and metallic. She released her bottom lip and whimpered from the substitute pain. He pulled away from her with a strange look of confusion on his face, which then melted away as he sunk against her, tickling her neck with attentive kisses.

Sakura pressed her inner thighs tight against his outer thighs while she cleaned her wounded lip. His mouth caressed the hollow of her throat, his hands sliding over every reachable patch of skin on her. His head lifted from her throat and he pressed his mouth over hers, if he tasted blood he never said, he only kissed her, prying her mouth open with his tongue.

Once, twice, three time he worked in and out, gently, almost too slowly. As he lifted his head, his eyes slid open to watch her, emotions flickered through his dark eyes, tenderness, triumph and need. The movements of his hips were still slow, careful. It felt amazing, but she wanted more. She brought her mouth up to his ear and whispered, "I won't break," as she smoothed her hands down his back and kissed him hard enough to bruise. He pressed her against the mattress, the muscles in her lower abdomen spasm, tightening.

She moaned and he panted, pushing her flush against the mattress and his body even more, shoving every inch of his taut erection deep inside her. He used his arms to push him into a slight push-up, hovering above her with a deep look of concentration as he slammed his hips against hers repeatedly. She held onto his damp neck, fingers playing with the loose hair at the nape. His muscles worked like some predatory feline, making him even more beautifully unnatural.

"Please…" she did not know what she was asking of him only that her body needed it, she needed it. Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at her face, twisted exquisitely in some deep gratification. He pushed against her, grunting steadily before claiming her lips in a ravenous kiss. He suddenly grabbed her, pressing against her chest briefly as he circled her ribs, lifted her off the mattress and rolled her and him so that their positions switched.

Some unknown force, instincts perhaps overrode her innocence and overall lack of experience and lifted her upper body, her hair whipped up and slapped against her back, the ends curling around her as she grasped, her hands pressing to his shoulders as she pivoted her hips against his groin. Sasuke watched her, entranced, his arms bent at the elbows, hands reaching for hers.

He lifted her hands, sliding his fingers into the spaces of her fingers and held her hands as she thrust against him, trying to find that center of excitement he found earlier with his fingers. "So beautiful…" she heard him whispered and she tilted her head and lifted her lashes, revealing contracted pupils, the green of her iris nearly taking up the whole of her eyes. Slowly, whimpering, she came to him, holding his hands tightly in hers as she pressed a kiss to his mouth before licking a line against the seam, parting his mouth, just enough for the tips of their tongues to touch.

Still holding her hand, Sasuke circled one arm around her, bending her arm back with him. Sakura heard his breathing change, quicken, she felt a strange almost sickening feeling begin to surge. This was something he wanted, this was something she thought she would give to Neji first and yet, she betrayed him and gave into her most basic instinct that she had denied herself because of social status. Sakura pressed her body against Sasuke's as if it would fuse them together, his body suddenly tightened and he slowed the rhythm of his hips. She felt the effort strain through his arms and back as he slowed.

A wave of pleasure burst over her in a skin-tingling, body-sweeping rush and he continued to thrust, hard, sure strokes still. The world suddenly faded as though her eyesight was impaired. She was exhausted, tired, too many bad dreams keeping her up in the late hours of the night and still he pushed in and out of her. Sasuke slowly rose, lifted one of her hands to his mouth and kissed each finger. He then brought her arms around him, before freeing her hands so he to could embrace her.

Sitting stomach to stomach and riding out the last of the pleasure, Sasuke kissed her softly on the cheek, the shoulder; she blinked at him and caressed his face as she suddenly felt him fill her. There were no words to describe what it felt like, but there was a completeness, which made their bodies slack. A tear came to Sakura's eyes, but it only lined her eyelashes. Sasuke lowered Sakura back onto the mattress and looked down at her, brushing away some of the hair that plastered to her face from the heat of their lovemaking.

He withdrew slowly from her, touching her between her legs, rubbing softly as if to wean her from one intense pleasure to a more subtle delight. He watched her eyes fall close and as they did, he withdrew his hand and rested it against her stomach as he drew closer to her petite form. He had not known just how innocent she was, he had never lain with a virgin before. The women who joined him previously before had other lovers set aside, though they promised to give them up if he would only choose them. He did not want to get married, none of the women he chose for his bed were worthy of the Uchiha name.

He looked over the girl who exchanged her freedom for her husbands, who attempted to kill him tonight and wondered justly if she were some sort of enchantress to bewitch him. He was not accustomed to what he was feeling, just as much as he was surprised to find that her husband had not touched her. What kind of man could deny himself her touch? Her kiss was sweet and her body graceful, if it were not for the fact that she was sound asleep and thoroughly exhausted he would have insisted on another bout.

Sasuke rubbed her bottom lip and she lifted her arm and clutched his forearm in her sleep, turning into him. Sasuke stilled with his arms above him, unsure of his next action before he lowered his arms and pressed them against her naked back. He pulled the sheets up over them and pressed his mouth to the crown of her head.

He moved his face back and watched as she slept, surprised at how transfixed he was by her. He knew that when she woke there would be an exchange of words, of what he was not sure, but he knew that her attempts on his life would be one of the conversations they would have when she rousted from her sleep. For now, Sasuke was content to lie next to and watch her until the sun would make its appearance and until she emerged from whatever dream would follow her. A minute passed and he pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, intending fully to not fall asleep, but her soft breath, lifting her chest up and down caught him and he too followed her into sleep.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was a heavy rewrite, first I hated the beginning, then I hated the sex scene and then I had to add more so it didn't seem so empty, needed more emotion and detail.**

**When Sasuke is egging Sakura on he uses a word to big to know by instincts, you might have to look it up to understand, and thus Sakura reprimands him for it, this is my retaliation to a reader who told me one of my stories was too detailed and as I read their review I realized what they meant to say was that my story wasn't too detailed, it was too informed. I was giving information without giving a glossary. I don't do glossaries, I figure either the reader will want to know badly enough to look it up or will be too lazy and just read on, maybe looking it up after they're done, a lot of authors in real life don't add glossaries, they throw in a word and leave it to the reader to figure out what it means in their own way.**

**Phew, now…**

**Review my minions, review… okay, you're not my minions, but if you would like to sign-up for the Kineticfairy Minion course, I am taking applications. (note: there is no Kineticfairy Minion course, its purely fictional, just like this story.)**


	8. The Monsters' Embrace

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property and creation of Kishimoto Masashi. I own none of the characters or the places mentioned in this story.**

**Acknowledgements and Thank you's:**

******This time I would like to thank and acknowledge everyone as a whole. Thank you. This is by far the hardest story for me to follow through with. I know anyone who has so far enjoyed this story and have been waiting for a new chapter installment have been amazingly patient with its update. So thank you for baring through that with me. My creative energies I feel have transferred to my daughter, who of course being three would have more imagination than myself. Proof-reading (I hope I've done it justice, I know there are complaints here and there about my overall ****grammar) took me a couple of months, mostly due to the sheer laziness and procrastinating on my part. Thank you for being apart of my life in the manner of reviewing, even just reading the whole story itself. You do not know the personal struggle I have had with this story, the tug-of-war to which would it be hopeless surrender or wholehearted commitment. I hope this story still has some magic and is found enjoyable and that I as an author have not dwindling my talents. I fear I'm not as popular as when I started and am now just a name in the history of fan-fiction. Good reading everyone and hopefully you will be happy with the chapter enough to leave a review (positive ones abundantly so more than negative.)  
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"Let the wars begin, let my strength wear thin.  
Let my fingers crack, let my world fall apart."

With the sun beaming on her face, she woke slowly, disoriented, drifting for several minutes between waking and sleeping, muscles aching, her mind struggling to bring clarity to the sensations her senses were accumulating. The smell of floral scents, the sound of departing morning birds outside the window, the feel of cool cotton sheets on her skin. Memories slowly resurfaced. She remembered some muffled movements in the grey light of the very early morning. She remembered him already being on his feet and dressed. She remembered looking at him with bleary-eyed confusion as he lifted her up in his stalwart arms, wrapped in his robes. He returned her to the lush prison she inhabited for many months since she first arrived to his homeland. He placed her on the bed that had been hers since she arrived and had leaned down, swept back her hair and told her to go sleep some more. Evidently, she had been too drowsy to question the situation further and had done as he told her. She had thought it was a dream anyway. As her level of consciousness increased, she realized two things: She failed to assassinate the Otokage and shared with him instead an all too intimate moment meant for Neji and her upon their marriage bed.

She ran her fingers through her hair, feeling distraught. A few minutes into her turmoil, there was a knock on the door; followed by a familiar voice, one of greeting. Not waiting for Sakura to answer, Ino, making a routine visit, opened the door with a breakfast platter in her hands. The rich aromas of fresh bread, tomatoes, eggs, olives and tea wafted in the air, enticing her empty stomach. Ino smiled as she set the tray down and poured the green tea into the porcelain cups. Sakura held the heated cup handed to her between her palms to warm them against the chill and inhaled the fragrant scent before she took a leisure sip. "The Otokage was in such a good mood today, he bade the chef make this delightful breakfast. It smells so wonderful; I was tempted to sample it as I brought it up." She said inhaling a deep breath of the aroma of sizzling breakfast meats. "Well," Ino laughed, picking up the silver-gilt and pearl ornamented comb and started raking through Sakura's tousled hair in quick motion, she fashioned a braid and decorated it with buds of preserved, dried yuki-yanagi, "through actions alone. It's been a long time since he ever laughed, let alone smiled." Ino walked over to Sakura's wardrobe and elected through each of the hanging dresses, which would suit Sakura for the day. She chose a beautiful water-blue silken gown that faded from blues right into a stunning cream color on the leading. The gown hailed stunning gold accents and lace sleeves. "This one is lovely," She stated pushing the dress into Sakura's arms. "I'll have to go now and try some of this delicious food; I have other errands to attend as well. Enjoy your breakfast."

Alone again in the room, Sakura stood in front of the mirror and pulled away the robe she donned. It was then she noticed the little bruises on her throat, on her shoulders and the top of her breasts. She pressed her fingers to them, tracing them lightly. Her head throbbed in protest of memories of erotic nature. She thought of his hands, his lips, and his naked, robust body. She closed her eyes tightly as she mentally pushed back the events of last night from her thoughts. She did not want to remember. She quickly dressed to hide the marks. She turned toward the windows and watched the snow falling, spinning in the light breeze against the grey sky. She moved toward the window until she could press her fingers against the glass, she turned her cheek to the glass and it felt cold beneath her flesh as she gazed out the window. She squinted through the thick snow swirling in the air. As Sakura peered through the drift she saw that the snow blanketed the grounds of the garden, icicles dangled from the walls of the castle, the wind ripped through the branches of the trees. She became aware of the two figures below. She felt an anxious prickle of nerves. She could barely see through the cloud of flurries to determine who would be foolish enough to venture out in such cold conditions. She could see dark red tresses in the wind currents and deep black. She stepped back, but felt compelled to continue to watch Karin pursue the Otokage.

She was running after him, her hands reaching out to seize him. His stride wavered as she surged against him, her arms encircling his waist and resting her head against his black cape. An uncomfortable feeling welled in Sakura's stomach up to her chest. She sneered in disgust and spun away from the window. Her cheeks were hot now; she rubbed at her hot cheeks as she walked over to the bedroom door, jerking it opened with force. Sakura sucked in a lungful of air in surprise, loudly; before her stood Sai, sooner than she expected, with an impassive expression. He was clad in black, his wan complexion a stark contrast to all the black. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. He pushed past her and went to the window at which she stood a moment ago. "Alive, isn't that strange and you as well… I'm perplexed." He said staring down at the gardens. Sakura turned her gaze to the floor, silent. What was she to say? That she had fell into the Otokage's dark eyes and intoxicating kiss. "So since you're alive… did you betray me?" Their eyes met and Sakura shook her head immediately. He walked closer to her as if to invoke misgivings.

His hand reached out, he caressed her cheek, a deep smile curving his mouth, and his eyes closed; a boyish smile indeed. Sakura simply looked at him as he drew his hand back and let it hang by his side once more. "You look as you were about to enjoy your early meal." He said to her, reaching out and taking the plate. "Come sit." Sakura sat on the edge of the bed as Sai pulled a chair close and sat. He poured himself some tea in a cup and took a sip. He waited and when she reached for no food he gesture for her to eat. Sakura, with shaky hands, reached for an olive. She ate slowly. He watched her eating, smiling at her. When at last she finished the meal, he rose from the seat and bowed in a courteous manner to her. He said nothing, which worried her.

"What… will you do?" He walked away from her, back to the chamber doors. She lifted her chin so that she could fully see his departing figure. There was no smile on his face, he simply looked her way and she waited for a response, perhaps one of anger. She did not know what to think, she had yet to grasp a deep grip on his personality or any of the personalities she had encountered while she was a captive in the heart of Otogakure. He merely looked over his shoulder at her, and then he faced her, opening the door behind her. His next words would not be what she expected at all.

"Would you like to accompany me on a stroll?" He reached out and offered her his black-gloved hand. Feeling as though his inquiry was anything other than optional, she stood slowly and followed Sai and together they left the room. She looked down at his hand, swaying back and forth, as they walked together. The longer they trailed the vast silent and dimly lit halls, the more daunted she felt. Down the stairs of the second corridor, Sakura saw Ino up the way, conversing with one of the guards; garbed in a black cloak similar to the one Sai wore. There was a smile on Ino's face. One that Sakura did not think she would see; a sort of flirtatious smile. Sakura walked closer with Sai toward the two. Ino looked up and her smile diminished as though to reappear on Sai's lips. "Good morning Ino-san." He said. His voice was light. A gaiety that suited him well- seriousness did not suit the face that was born for smiles. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did actually," She said, stepping away from the guard. "Once I got to sleep, that is." There was almost a snide tease to her voice. Sakura suddenly felt uneasy, glancing nervously behind herself. Then Ino looked over at her as if noticing her for the first time. Ino cleared her throat and announced she still has things to look after. She gave a quick single nod to Sakura, plucked up her skirt so her hem lifted off the floor and she sauntered passed them. Sai smirked before he gave a dark look to the guard whose throat visible descended in a gulp. Sai continued and Sakura followed on his heel, wringing her hands and fiddling with her skirts as they continued down the hall. Sai's thoughts were elsewhere since their encounter with Ino moments ago, and it was evident in his following conversation.

"She's very fond of any compliments, and very much addicted to coquetry. If one might hesitate about flattering her, she has a mind of helping you to do it." Sakura furrowed her brows, not sure what to think. She never thought much on Ino, only that she seemed her only companion within Otogakure, what Ino did or said beyond Sakura's presence was for Ino to dictate alone. They reached the passage to the gardens where Sakura had spent much of her imprisonment and found that she lingered at the archway out to her solitude. Sai continued down the corridor, unaware or indifferent that she ceased to follow. As if in a weightless daze, she found herself walking closer and closer to the stony entrance. A few solid cascades of ice hung down, high overhead, apparently broken off short, or at any rate ending very abruptly. She felt a pang of discontent as no one was out in the frozen garden. Whom she was expecting? What did her heart or mind think she might find out in the frozen garden? Her past was merely a dream now, an illusion to protect herself from the cruelty of her reality. She shook her head, feeling a lack of humility within. She pressed her hand against the cold stone of the wall and started to turn back inside to what warmth the palace could supply and perhaps unite with Sai once again.

Sakura kept her eyes on her feet, not really seeing the floor. When a shadow fell across her path, she looked up. A man, tall and undesirably familiar underneath his long black robe, stood in her path. His strange eyes raked her up and down. It was unnerving. She felt a clutch of fear and swallowed thickly, she tried to retreat, but he stepped forward and grabbed her arm. He started to push her further into the frigid tunnel. "Let go!" Sakura started to scream, but he clamped his hand over her mouth, crushing his lips against her mouth, his fingers digging into her face. Sakura's heart pounded painfully against her chest painfully against her chest. His hot breath huffed against her cheek, she tried to turn her head, but his grip was too strong. She could kick and claw him, but he was too strong. He would simply overpower her. He could drag her down further into the archway where no would be able to see or hear her struggling, but then who here would care what happened to her?

His hand continued to crush her face. Blood coated her tongue from her teeth cutting the inside of her mouth. Desperation and a compulsion to fight back swelled inside her. She breathed through her nose in order to stay conscious while she calculated how she could hurt him the most. "Little princess, little princess," He hissed in her ear, releasing her mouth. His voice was a dark seductive, cruel, malignant sound, soft like a secret, sultry and husky with intent. She did not like hearing it. "So at last we are alone, how many times have we trekked paths that never intersected?" The long strands of his snowy hair feel over her lashes. She did not want him looking at her; she did not want him touching her. She started to feel dizzy as she struggled to breathe. The corners of his mouth curled back in a sneer. His deep violet eyes closed as a heavy, sighing breath escaped him. His hand cupped the back of her neck and he grabbed and twisted a handful of her hair, he yanked until her neck stretched back. "I want skin. I want your skin, since that time in the woods; it seems so long ago that you walked so brazenly into a camp of men demanding us to take you to the Otokage… I should have taken you then; such a beautiful, little, princess!"

Tears burned the corners of her eyes. Her mind raced with profane thoughts of what he would do to her. A sound of boots on the corridor floor snapped Sakura's eyes wide. Someone was coming, someone would see them, this. A man walked into her line of sight, his head turned in their direction, it was too dark to see the look on his face, but instead of asking any questions, he hurried along, as briskly as he could, sorry to be imposing on two supposed lovers amidst a tryst. Sakura threw her head back and cried out in desolation. His sinister grin grew, and he turned her, pulling her against his chest, still holding her by her face and hair. "He won't mind, this once, if I take his little fire bird from her iron cage." His fingers tugged on the laces holding the back of her dress together. Acting on instinct and opportunity Sakura twisted her body as violently as she could; she slammed her elbow hard into his chest. His grip loosened. Sakura wrenched forward, freeing herself. She grabbed her skirt and ran out of the archway. Her heart beat so fast it hurt, but she did not slow her pace. She tried to listen for footsteps following, but she could only hear the pounding of blood in her ear, keeping time with her feet on the ground beneath.

Sakura ran until she passed through the long, dimly lit hall. She rushed into the kitchens, slamming the heavy doors behind her. Gasping for breath, she crumpled, trembling, onto a spot on a long bench pulled close to the long wooden dining table. Humiliation mixed with anger coursed through her, the way he touched her made her shudder with disgust, wrapping her arms around herself, she sucked in air like one who just survived choking. She felt as if she were trying to shield herself from a thousand hidden, but disparaging, eyes. Realizing she was not alone, Sakura looked up and found sitting two rows behind her Karin and Juugo. Karin's red eyes glowered over her. She gave a disgusted snort as she pushed away from the table. "I've lost my appetite," Karin said gloomily, turning her spoon in her bowl. She abandoned her meal, stomping past Sakura, leaving the kitchen. Juugo, a giant of a man with bright orange hair followed suit. Sakura rubbed at her eyes feeling the shadows of hell upon her. Sakura hugged her arms and looked at the fogged white windows. There were a few servants, tidying around, and the large, rather unfriendly head cook bustling about the hot room, casting dark looks at her. There was a devil residing in this foreign palace.

Her love was lost to her. She hated him and why should not she? He was not here. He was not breaking down doors or cutting down enemy soldiers to reach her. Where was he? She never felt so angry, so abandoned, so betrayed! Of all the terrible things to submit her to how could she feel anything but hate? There was so much tense anger in her that it made her skin flush with the thought. "Here you are!" she jumped, startled. A relief washed over her, it was Sai again. "Care to explain?" Sakura shook her head, the anger curling her lip in disgust. He dare ask her to explain herself, to this cowardly assassin.

"No!" she barked, slamming her fists down thunderously against the table. "Do you want to kill me? Go ahead!" she challenged. No one was coming for her; she gave on the tiny bit of hope months ago! Not in a hundred of yards of this pitiful cold and desolate village would a single Konohagakure resident find and return her home. "I would rather die and be thrown into a frozen river than go another season here. I am not a killer. I am a simple woman. I am a lowly man's daughter who happened to catch the attention of the battle commander. It was love that brought me to his rescue. I trekked my way through dangerous lands and into enemy hands, demand they bring me to the Otokage so I might beg for his return and he does not return the favor. So kill me if you wish. Who will care? Not them, not I!" She was so angry she did not know what else to do. Tears welled in her eyes, and she cried until her already sore throat felt like it was on fire.

"Are you finished? I presume there is a reason the Otokage is still alive, however, if you wish for it to remain private so be it. Now you have wandered away. Take this; I wanted to speak with you in a more reserved setting." He handed her a long, warm appearing cloak. Sakura took it and wrapped herself in it. She followed Sai with no questions, no words. She was still flushed with anger, so she stayed quiet as he led her out of the palace and into the wintry cold and beyond the gates. "You haven't exhausted your uses." Sai's feet crunched into the thickly bedded snow. Sakura looked onward. She felt a weight lift off her shoulders, she felt a little happiness return to her as they strolled outside the palace gates and within the village. There were villagers and merchants, children running around and playing and for the first time in a long while, she felt that she was home again, though these were strangers and they had no connection to her current situation. She smelled the scents of fire burning, bread baking and the cold fresh air.

"I don't care about my freedom anymore." Sakura said nonchalantly, as she took in Sai's words she walked over to a small stall full of little trinkets, she had no currency for. She smiled at the simplicity of the vendor's wares. "I don't know what the Otokage is holding onto me for any longer. I am of no use to him. I have no special skills and I have no power over the war or its outcome. I wish he would just return me to Konohagakure or kill me to be done with it." She watched as the villagers observed her, light whispers on their tongues about the captive Konohagakure 'princess'

"Why do you think my cousin would want you dead? I think he is infatuated with you. I can only guess what happened that night. Perhaps you're more enchanting than you think." Sakura felt a wash of embarrassment settle over her, making her cheeks a soft pink. She continued walking through the snowy village. She did not want to talk to Sai about that night, but he did not seem to make a commotion about it or even continue to push the fact that he could still use her as an assassin. They walked a while longer; Sakura took the time to enjoy the outdoors despite the cold. She looked out at the horizon; she could make out some snowdrift, but nothing more than white abyss. No one would be out there, no hero on the horizon. What more was there, but the desire to escape or the desire to let her life snuff out like a candle flame? The sun began to descend when Sai escorted her back to the palace, but in the less freezing corridors, they parted ways, no more words between them. She stood by the kitchen doors, watched as the fires burned out and the servants and cooks depart. Sakura wandered the dimly lit corridors, hoping for no further future encounters. Through the vast halls, she wandered, all in darkness, except where the moon, shining in through the embrasures, threw a bright streak across the floor. How time had fooled her with the winter, one moment it was morning the next it was night. She felt that she was living in fragments of time.

"The sleep is evident in your eyes." Sakura lifted her tired eyes up to the top of the stairs. The Otokage stood before her in dark silken robes; she felt a blush of heat across her face. She trudged herself up the stairs regardless of the emotions she was feeling, mostly embarrassment. She walked past him and he did not stop her. "For you… I suppose you'll want to read these," Sakura stopped and turned, still ashamed to look the Otokage in the eye. There in his hands he held out a fan of parchments sealed with the wax stamp of the Hyuuga emblem. Sakura stared at them, heard her heart beat, and wished for some way to stifle it, but that she could not do. Her fingers flexed. The urge to snatch the letters and read them tugged at her heart and she swallowed against the lump forming in her throat. She waged a small war between her head and heart on whether or not she would take the letters from his hands, pry them open, tear the emblem apart and read the words written on the parchment. She started for the letters but she found that she did not want them. Her fingers trembled slightly, but she drew them in, close to her palm, forming a tight fist. He was presenting letters from Neji. How old were these letters? How long had the Otokage retained them in his possession? She did not know and fighting the rage inside her, keeping it at bay, she found that she did not want to know. They would only possibly recount his love for her. How he would be coming for her soon. What difference would present themselves in his and her idea of soon be? Would soon be days, months… years?

She hated to think on it, she did not want to read his lies in letters. She was here for a couple of seasons now and she was mad in the mind with the fact. A monster lurking in the shadows the palace provided, making her fear because she allowed him to frighten her, haunt her. He tried to possess her, not because of lust or desire, want or need, only because she did not want him to. She was not the fair maiden swooning maidens read about in fantasy tales. This was his strength. From her fear, he was powerful and, she could not escape. Sakura shivered slightly with the thought of the earlier assault. Then there was the Otokage himself. Her captor, a promise she made to him kept her in his realm, in his palace. Sakura exchanged her life for the freedom of her betrothed. Sakura's freedom surrendered to ensure the freedom of Neji. She looked into the Otokage's dark fathomless eyes set against his handsome face. Her gaze rested on his mouth, her cheeks began to burn. She remembered his kiss. It was a hot, ravishing, an entirely thorough kiss even as she told herself to fight the memory she couldn't understand the profound difficultly not to.

"No!" Her voice was firm. "Throw them away, burn them, tear them asunder, I care not. I do not want them." She tried to give up all remembrance of her old life, her old love, casting it and him out of her mind as if it had never existed. No matter if: it was gone, with no means of retrieval, it had existed, and it was a part of her. She felt defiant to the memory, not wanting to think of those who left her behind. She hiked her skirt up from the floor and resumed her climb up the stairs, more urgently now, passing the Otokage with an abrupt sendoff. She flit along the corridor, climbed the scores of stairs that led its path to her room, her prison that for her was to sit, sleep, and eat mostly unnoticed, forgotten and overlooked. When Sakura at last reached her room, she shoved the door shut behind her. She was terribly upset. Neji had wrote her letters, not only one that allowed her to assumed meant he just started writing, but several, which led her to believe that he had been writing to her for awhile since. What irked her most was that when she was not expecting to, she gazed at the Otokage's thin, sinuous lips. Her cheeks were flaming now with the memory of his mouth on her breasts, the feel of his heavy length moving inside her.

She remembered the incredible sweep of pleasure, the heart-pounding ecstasy she had felt in those final, blissful moments, despite the actuality of him being her first. She remembered how he strode toward her, dark, tall, and in that moment, a little intimidating. Little details such as those kept appearing in her head and every time they did, her body went warm with desire. It was curious how he bedded her rather than killed her when he confronted her on her attempt at his life. Any other surely would have dispatched her permanently rather than allow her to live, especially moving almost freely about their palace. The Otokage was certainly a different man, a fool, certainly. Sakura suddenly felt very tired, she walked over to the window seat and eased herself down. The moon shone bright in the midst of the gray clouds. The wind outside rattled the frosted paned windows. She closed her eyes, her heart squeezed with the pain of missing her family, her freedom. She was tired, emotionally and physically.

She did not know why the threads of life were as tangled, as they were. She did not know where they were weaving her to, where the heart of her thread rested among the knots and what waited at its start. All she knew was that her thread was integrate, crossed paths with lives she could never know would touch her own. Sakura soon drifted into a dreamless sleep at her window seat, among the glass that kept out the snow and cold and the glittering stars, the glass that kept out her freedom.

When Sakura left him standing there, Sasuke pondered her thoughts and the way she seemed, hurt and upset, and for some reason that he could not fully grasp, he wanted to avenge her. His gaze turned dark and clutching tightly at the letters she disregarded, he headed toward his chambers to redress; he no longer wished to sleep that night. He disrobed and pulled on a black tunic and matching trousers. He pulled on his boots and tossed the letters into the fireplace. He would burn them later. He was tired of the war; he was tired of Konohagakure and their self-righteous ways. He sneered as he finished dressing, pulled open his door and slammed it behind. There was more of a glide to his strides as he made his way down the corridors lit by both the moon and the torches. He needed to do something! He felt an urgency to do something to Konohagakure and its appointed Battle Commander. Sasuke advanced down the hall like a storm billowing out of a coal black sky down to the war room, summoning Karin, Juugo, Suigetsu, Orochimaru, and a few key generals that had no verbal attribute but would carry out his commands all the same.

Two armored soldiers guarded the double doors of the Otokage's war room. The room was dark, lit only by blazing torches. Several maps of the Five Great Kingdoms hung spread about the walls. Black marble walls and dark polished wood furniture, gleamed fitfully in the torchlight: a big table with benches on each side of it and a huge chair, like a throne, carved with fighting scenes at its head. The only ornament on the wall behind the great chair was a portrait of a well-dressed family, _his _family. "We're riding to Konohagakure… tonight," he snarled, throwing the war pieces from the wooden circler war table. Karin looked worried. Suigetsu looked pleased. Juugo remained silent.

Orochimaru smiled himself and interjected a few crucial points as Sasuke's War Master. "These are pleasing words. Konohagakure cannot hope to win. We are the people of Otogakure. The Uchiha Clan, as is in their nature, is to be stronger, than all others are. The enemy will not prevail upon us. Let us divide our forces to meet the enemy-"

"No. Round up the whole army. I am ending this now. I will see Konohagakure burn once, and for all. We have come to a time when we have toyed too long with the prey and we the predator must end all games. Otogakure has always meant to conquer; we are the people meant to rule. Let us meet our enemy with a full force!" He turned them all out of the war room, knowing that different thoughts invoked each of them. He did not care what they thought of him. Sasuke had not cared for a long time, now. There was an old anger, a wound within that anger. When dealing with old rage and present anger, there were two simple decisions that would allow release. Either he could accept the situation, let it go or he could do something about it. He pulled off the maps from the wall and frowned up at the portrait, he wanted nothing more than to tear it off the wall as well and throw the portrait to the ground, break the frame that held it.

"What thoughts haunt your mind, Otokage-sama?" Sasuke did not turn to the owner of the voice. He stared up at the picture, his features hard with past hurt and present fury. "Your brother, Itachi-sama," Suigestsu murmured, now standing at Sasuke's side. Sasuke detested the name; it burned his ears to hear. The name of Itachi Uchiha was a hated and cursed one. Sasuke had pondered for years how to best avenge the death of his parents at his brother's hands. No one way would ever quench his burning hatred and he had thought of hundreds. Sasuke wanted to look into his eyes and watch as the light of life slowly snuffed out of them. He wanted to hear the sweet music of his screams of pain, and feel him squirm in pain under his hands as his flesh peeled and tore from his frame. He did not want him to die quickly, no, what he had in mind would take weeks into months to accomplish. At the end, he would be begging for an end to his traitorous life, but his pleas would fall to deaf ears.

He dreamed of a day he would meet his vengeance, how love had turned to hate. Sasuke looked over at Suigetsu. "Get ready to ride out. I want everybody mounted up and ready to ride by first light." Suigetsu was grinning, exposing pointed white teeth. With a flourishing bow, he departed precipitately. Alone again with his dark thoughts and dark feelings, Sasuke curled the fingers of each hand into a tight fist, growled and took his leave of the war room as well. He headed up to his chamber where, once in his own room, Sasuke sank into a seat and buried his face into his hands. Sasuke tried to clear his mind of his hateful feelings, he was proud of the calm exterior he exuded. He stood again, with set teeth and determined eyes he went toward his closet where a dark garment hung. He shook it out- a long, dark, military cloak- and proceeded to pin the cape, he enveloped himself in the cloak, drawing the hood as well forward to cover nearly the whole of his face. He would go to war, not for the sake of war, but the sake of his own pride. He wandered down the long, dark passageway below the hall, pushed open a door, and found himself all at once in a familiar room, the moonlight reflecting off the snow outside, the moonlight shone full on her face and gave it that clear, unnatural fairness. She was beautiful. His eyes lingered, for a long moment, on Sakura, on her pale pink hair, deepened in color from the moonlight.

He bit back a sigh, as he stared into her face, his eyes trailing over every feature as though he were trying to memorize them, he knew well that he was here because he had to see her, up close, just once, before he walked away, he might not have the strength to walk away from such a vision. Her lips were parted and her breathing deep and even. The angry storm that had roiled around inside him ebbed, and he found himself wanting to drop down beside her and hold her until she woke up. However, he could not do that. Instead, he stood there, watching her sleep, an ache in his chest that would not go away. He reached out and touched a lock of her hair. Desire coiled through his veins, making him throb, he then lifted his hand to her cheek, moving his thumb along her jaw line. She moaned softly but continued sleeping; her sleep was not easily disturbed. He moved closer until his face was so close to hers, he could feel her every breath. Unable to resist the lure of that lush mouth, he dipped his head and kissed her. After a moment, he eased off, gazing down into her upturned face. Her eyelashes fluttered, but her eyes remained closed. Sasuke struggled to swallow a lump in his throat as he watched her sleep. Her pink lips appeared swollen from his kiss. Just the thought of her like that made his chest tighten; aware of his train of thought, he pressed his lips together.

He cursed softly, expelled a breath and without waking her, effortlessly lifted her from the chair, and carried her to the bed. Her body felt cold and soft against his. She felt weightless against his forearms. The hair on the top of her head touched his nose, and unconsciously Sasuke lowered his face, inhaling lightly. He could smell the scent of flowery bath oils. Gently, he laid her on the bed and pulled the covers up over her, and still she slept. Sasuke backed up to the door to leave. Hesitating he pulled it shut. He thought about the night she crept into his room, armed with a knife. He could not fathom his fascination with her. She was a unique woman, one of the most intriguing he had ever imagined to encountered. He thought that once he had claimed her, his fascination with her would end. That one kiss would cure his fever for her.

He shook his head, angry with himself for thinking so intently on a woman, a woman who was the wife of his enemy. He had brought her into his bed on the night she attempted to kill him. He remembered the press of the cold steel against his throat. Did her mettle allure him? He pulled the riding cloak around his shoulders tighter as he drew closer to the doors that would lead him to the courtyard where his men gathered at the stables ready to ride out to battle. Six royal guards waited on horseback in the courtyard, in a formation of two rows of three. Sasuke took the reins of his steed from the stableman, who stepped back as Sasuke mounted the horse and quickly urged his horse into a gallop. The Otokage's legion galloped after, plumes of steam coming from the noses of the mounts, their hooves kicking up clots of snow.

The palace was quiet now that the Otokage's forces had ridden out. The shouts, laughter, and sounds of heady excitement had slowly filtered away and no longer invaded the courtyard. Ino watched from the large window as the last of her Otokage's army left the palace grounds. Sasuke had led the departure; she whispered his name, feeling her heart clench at the thought of never seeing him again. She was relieved when he had pulled back his men for those long passing months and now he was riding out again to battle, to war. The night wind flattened Ino's blond hair against her cheeks and forehead, and even blew it into her eyes. She tossed her head to smooth her hair back into place and ran her hand through it. She heard the sound of boots patting against the stone below, the long shadow cast against the stone she leaned on. He stood very close to her now, his body heat radiating toward her. "A beautiful winter's night." he mused, staring up at the sky. He whistled a few notes, unfamiliar, and then stopped. "I picked up that tune somewhere." Ino turned to stare into the face of Sai. The resemblance to Sasuke was uncanny but that was the only thing they shared.

Ino frowned, studying Sai. "Out for a midnight stroll, my lord?" she asked rather ungraciously. He looked up at the night sky again and rocked back on his heels. The wind blew steadily in his face, the hair pushing away from his forehead.

"My, aren't we irritable tonight," Sai quipped, looking down into Ino's face at last, she made sure he did not miss a curve of disdain in her face. He brushed past her, merely raising his brow in response to her icy expression, and setting his hands against the snowcapped rampart. He peered into the night, the snow tossed about the earth by the frigid wind. He frowned and then looked back to see Ino, her face smooth out from the harsh curves of earlier. "Suppose you were out here to see your beloved Otokage ride out to battle once more. What do you see in my dear cousin anyhow? I don't get it." Ino seemed taken by surprise by Sai's sudden question. She had known him as long as she had known Sai, they were all children together, she had served the family of Uchiha since she was a young girl and until more recently, when Sai's family would visit during the summer. She blinked up at him and he looked back out where the army had departed, shaking his head. "Even without my opinion the guy is a self-righteous, imperious bastard."

Ino felt herself tense up. She narrowed her eyes, Sai complained about Sasuke often, even when they were young, only now it was less frequent than when he was just a boy. He kept his thoughts about Sasuke as minimal as possible unless otherwise provoked, mostly when Ino was about. "You still don't know him." Ino defended.

"And you do? I'm sure he takes you out to his mother's garden and entrusts you with his deepest secrets." He snorted. "I think I understand. You just _think_ you are in love with him. He is this dark dominant figure with his black garb and mysterious past. A romantic illusion that you've convinced yourself is real." He shook his head again and once more turned his gaze to the heavens. "You think you're supposed to fall for the tortured guy who lives in the shadows. It's been twenty-two years now, Ino…"

"Sai, I don't want to talk about this."

"No, of course not, might shatter the illusion you've so carefully crafted over many years." Ino sighed; she was growing tired of Sai and his constant analyzing and complaining. She frowned out to where she had stared moments before his interruption. They stood in silence with their eyes downcast, the stone pale in the moonlight. She could sense nothing from him; he was holding his emotions under tight control as he had always done. Ino shivered a little, she had not intended to stay out this late, but stubbornness seemed to keep her out.

"Are you suggesting I consider some one like you?" Ino broke the silence, glancing sidelong over at Sai, wrinkling her nose. Sai scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief at the mere idea. Ino smiled thinly and tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear.

"Heavens, no- what an idea, you and I…? I am just a curious man. Besides don't you think Sasuke-san's guest and I are more compatible?" He jested; Ino gave him a derisive look that said more clearly than words what she thought about his statement.

She pushed away from the parapet in disgust. "Is that every man's idea around here? She is beautiful, that much is undeniable but it is not like she's the only woman in Otogakure." Crossing her arms, she chafed her hands up and down her arms, hoping to chase away a bit of the chill. Ino could not understand what was so wonderful about Sakura other than that she was a stranger in a land full of her enemies and she was pretty. What else was there, they knew nothing other than she was a Konohagakure local who had travel to Otogakure for the freedom of a prisoner. Ino tried to think of what the men here saw when they looked at her, aside from her natural beauty, but it only gave her a slight ache in her temple when she tried to comprehend their thoughts.

Sai offered his thoughts, comparing Sakura to a flower blooming out of its element and perhaps that was what the men glimpsed when they encountered the prisoner from another land. Ino shook her head, though the presented idea seemed plausible. "I think she's perfect, but not how you might interpret. I've noticed qualities in her in the little cherry blossom…"

"Such as…?"

"Of no interest to you, I can assure you, but I have noticed them and that's all you need to hear."

Ino narrowed her eyes, "Fine, don't tell me then. I don't care," she said dismissively. "I'm tired of talking about Sakura and I'm tired of hearing other people talk about her. Now I am listening to you talk about her. The Otokage tasked me with overseeing to her everyday routine. Day after day Karin is carping about her in some form or another. I catch Suigetsu leering in her direction even when he thinks no one is watching. I will never know where he dug those three up. They are unpleasant." she sighed and gave herself up the tumult of emotions sweeping through her. "I just wish Sasuke-sama would care for me the way I've cared for him. I have been part of the royal family since we were children."

He looked at her, his eyes dark, unsmiling. "Do you think perhaps he can not separate you from the child you were then from the woman you are now?" He pressed his lips together and then he smiled that boyish smile she was accustomed to seeing when he did not want to talk about matters he felt were too serious. "Such a serious focus, Ino, I would rather talk about the upcoming battle. He has put it off for far too long. Why now do you suppose, he would start up again?"

"You like to stir trouble, Sai-sama. What do you know?" Inquired Ino, her big, blue eyes wide with wonder. Sai was always jerking her about, making her think one way or the other, he must have enjoyed the reactions he pulled from her, she felt heated with the thought that he might be doing it now, with that smile. He shook his head and she wondered what he might be keeping from her, she felt numb in the cold. She wished he would just tell her what he knew so that she might go inside, before it started snowing, it was cold enough to snow, but there were not many cloud clusters in the dark sky.

"I wonder," he mused, slanting a knowing glance edged with amusement. "Would your face turn red? I wouldn't want you to cry." He touched her face, his fingers brushing against her cheek. Her eyes flashed a warning at him.

"Tell me!" She snapped impatiently.

"No. I rather not." his hand came away from her face and she blinked up at him in confusion. "You should go inside Ino, no need to stand out here freezing and troubling your mind over my cousin, it's night still and dawn is a many hours away." She watched his thin smile, boyish indeed, and it disguised any malice he could harness. "You should go rest now, you're always so busy. He's not worth your efforts." He turned away and headed back into the palace. Ino sighed, frustrated with him. She could not heed his advice, as tired as she was, not just because she could not trust it, but more so because she had loved Sasuke for too long to stop now. Even if she fell in love with another man, he would never possibly hold a candle to her Otokage. Even now, the very idea of any man redirecting her love away from Sasuke seemed impossible. Irked by Sai's mysterious remark; he always talked a riddle whenever his cousin was involved. She wondered what it was about her Otokage that he despised so passionately. She supposed he enjoyed teasing, even when he was younger, he played between nice and malevolent. It was a constant mask for him to hide his true face. Ino finally had enough of the cold and went inside.

She wandered the drafty halls of the palace to the blazing kitchen. There was an orange glow from the hearth, smoldering her eyes in its brightness. Set at its large kettle were two young maidservants. They were busy stirring and chattering. Ino caught their attention as she skirted closer. She took a seat at the wooden table, cut into and colorfully stained from years of food preparation. They offered her a bowl of the bubbling thick soup they were cooking, Ino took it and held the wooden bowl between her fingers and listened as they continued to talk amongst themselves. She strained to listen when she heard them mention their Otokage, at first she was outraged to hear his servants gossiping about their Otokage, but then she found she could not help but want to know what they were saying exactly, so she tightened her mouth and listened, pretending not to.

"Well I heard the Otokage was seen leaving her rooms." the girl whispered, stirring the soup about some more and not minding Ino's presence in the least.

"I heard more than that. I heard the night before, just before dawn he was spied carrying her asleep in his arms, from his chamber to hers." Their faces flushed, but it could have been from the fire cradling about the kettle at which they hovered over. One of them gave a heartfelt sigh. "He's such a handsome man, a divine specimen of masculinity. She's so lucky, I would give anything for a man like that." she gushed, one finger twirling a lock of her hair, employing not a single bit of exaggeration. Ino looked up and after one wild throb; her heart sank, like lead. Ino felt as if her whole world had been shattered. Her life had revolved around Sasuke, and now she felt as though there was nothing. Her mind was in turmoil. Ino sat stunned, unable to move, barely able to breath for the tighteness that constricted her throat. Ino blinked back the tears determined not to cry. "It's perfectly understandable; I mean men are fond of that exotic look- pretty nose, high cheekbones, golden skin, and petite and slender. Even her pink hair is pretty."

Ino swallowed. She did not want to believe it; she did not want to think that Sasuke desired Sakura. "Well, he should marry, perhaps a successful marriage would produce an heir and perhaps the Otokage would be happy again."

"You forget yourselves!" Ino interrupted in a firm, yet mild tone. "Speaking about our Otokage in such disregard, show some respect." Ino shook her head and stood from her seat, dismissing herself and wishing them a pleasant night. The tip of her nose grew numb and cold. A lump balled in her throat. Stopping outside the kitchen doors, Ino screwed her eyes tight against the tears that threatened to fall. She had always loved Sasuke ever since she was a little girl as she had told Sai. She felt a sharp pain, in the center of her chest, an excruciating tightness. Heaviness settled over her, and Ino knew she had to sit down. She leaned against the wall for support, wiping at her eyes with the heel of her hand, fighting back hot tears. How could this other woman, this new woman, this interloper, come along and fascinate him so easily? He should not have become involved with her. It would be easy for others to judge him. She knew it was difficult to make the right call in the heat of the moment, be that the heat of battle or the heat of passion. She was a passionate person, very much so. It was something that hurt her the most. She could give him so much, and had. How could he not choose her? Ino felt a sense of family affront when he had given his mother's private chambers to this woman as a prison.

Ino was distressed… shattered by the thought of being in love with a man who did not love her back. Ino covered her face in grief, crying softly. She sobbed all the way to her room. She collapsed on the bed in a heap of despair and confusion, and sobbed until she was sick. The suffering in her body and soul was unbearable. Her entire body ached and her heart, paralyzed with grief. She loved him, loved him since he was a boy and she a girl. She loved him. He was her heart's desire. He always had been. She loved him. She loved him. She had always loved him. Ino knew Sasuke did not feel the same way about her. She pretended that he just did not appreciate her love yet. The first time he broke her heart, she remembered was the first time he took Karin to his bed. The first searing kiss he gave her on a summer night, insufferably hot and humid. She felt a wash of disgust and betrayal, she loved him in spite of it and then after the rather infrequency of their intimate late night encounters she tried to pride herself in the knowledge that Sasuke did not use her the way he did Karin because he cared about her.

She had forgiven because she loved him so dearly. She turned onto her back and sniffed back tears, raking her fingers through her hair. Shaking her head, she wondered if Sasuke knew that Sakura was his enemy and the lover of his enemy. Would she need to remind him when he returned or would it be too late? She could inquire for Sakura's freedom; plead for her. No one had done that for Sakura, everyone had only allowed her to stay within their palace, gossiping about her and allowing her to ensnare their Otokage. A sense of calm came over Ino then and she stopped crying. She hugged her pillow and wished she could speak to Sasuke immediately, but she would have to wait for now he was far from Otogakure at the time. Ino closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

Sakura, the woman who had captured her Otokage's eye, was rousing. The cold woke her. She felt the chill on her face, pricked the inside of her nose, seeming to burn. Pulling the covers up over her nose to shield out the cold, she realized she was in bed. She slipped out of the bed, unsure how she had ended up there when she was sure she had fallen asleep at the seat close to the window. She was not sure how long she had been sleeping, but it felt like a long time, wrapped up warm and sleeping soundly, deeply through the dark and the cold. Something would no longer allow her to sleep, so she removed the covers, got up, and pulled on a warm shawl. She crept out of her bedroom, walking down the long, empty corridor in a silent, empty palace. There was no transition: One moment she was fast asleep the next she was wandering with no direction or purpose down a freezing corridor with rich carpeting, gray stoned walls and great wide windows. The aura at night was one of gloom and unease. Her feet whispered over the stone steps as she moved downstairs. There were soldiers and servents alike roaming about, but they paid her no special attention. The halls shone bright in the blue moonlight, she stepped down the next level of lengthy stairs and found herself on the ground floor, in the entrance hall, facing the great double doors that led outside, guarded by two sentinels. She wanted to run to the doors, and escape. A voice from behind her said. "You can't leave. There is no way out for you. You're confined here, a prisoner of the Otokage and his realm."

Sakura spun around, and there, standing in the hall, calm and civilized as always, was Sai. Dressed smartly and expensively tailored with a polite smile and cold, cold eyes that were not always so. "Sai, you're awake late."

"Indeed. And you, my lady, could you not sleep?" Sakura shook her head. "The Otokage and his men rode out hours ago, but there are still men patrolling the halls at night. They are but rough soldiers, accustomed to thinking a woman is there for the taking if she is wandering around when decent women are keeping to their quarters. Has it occurred to you that some man might find you sauntering and think you were longing for his company?" Sakura looked down at her dress that she fell asleep in and the shawl she wore over her shoulders. She supposed she looked disheveled as well. Sakura touched her hair and smoothed the strands between her fingers. "Here, allow me to escort you back to your room." Sakura, nodding in agreement, allowed Sai to take her by the hand.

"Where did he go?" Sakura found herself asking as they came to the top the stairs. Sai pulled her along, down the hall she had trailed a while ago, hand still tucked in his. He led her up the dark path, and she wondered if he would soon answer her question or not. Sakura was tired of these games. She felt she was deserved something, she agreed to this lifestyle and yet she was treated somewhat as though she had not. Sai brought her back to the room and they stood with each other for a moment before Sai spoke, his voice calm and smooth. He hesitated a long moment while she stared into his face, the moonlight illuminating his features as she took a step back.

"The Otokage has ridden off to Konohagakure. He has revoked the war cessation. It seems you're being here has held no sway on his determination to eradicate Konohagakure." Sai studied her face. Sakura felt horrible, she had stayed with in Otogakure for a promise now broken. Sakura was staring at him, her face gone ashen. She stepped back over the threshold. Sai studied her face. She was so beautiful, so lovely, yet also lonely and sad. A feeling of deep sorrow began to tug at her features. There was something about her. She looked so lost and alone. Why was she here? He looked at her and waited, trying to smile. Sai turned away, unable to look at her any more. Sakura's heart sunk in her chest. She closed the door as Sai walked away. Sakura turned and looked out the heavily frosted window and down at the snowy garden. What was she doing here? She had come for Neji but she had not left with him, was that not her true intent, to rescue and to reunite with him. She felt her tears spring to life. She had banned physical sorrow, refused so many times to weep. A rush of emotions rose in her. She gulped quickly, trying to force down her emotions. A single tear escaped. Then another, she had been abandoned. She did not hate Neji, she loved him and missed him and wished that he would come for her, why was it taking so long for him to rescue her? She regretted now not know what he wrote in those sent letters.

Sai was descending the stairs as Ino was climbing them. Together they could hear the sound of subdued weeping. "Is everyone awake tonight? I thought I saw you off to bed hours ago." Ino smiled thinly, shortly and then lifted her head towards the sound of the crying. "I told Sakura-hime that the Otokage has gone to Konohagakure."

Ino pressed her lips together in a tight frown, and then shrugged. "Very well," She continued to climb the stairs and made a move to go around him, but he stopped her with a hand circling her wrist. Ino stayed still, not looking at him, though he was close enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek. Could those long, slender fingers detect the accelerating thud of her pulse? He seemed to be waiting for her to speak. Instead, she looked down at his hand where it bound her wrist. "Sai," her voice was flat, not amused.

"When will you look at me? I have his face, they all say." Ino looked up at him. "Yes. I want you to look at me the way you look at him. I have nothing but desire for you. I want no other but you. Your wit, your smile, your determination, your stubbornness, the fire in your eyes, the way you move, the sound of your voice, the curves of your body, everything. I worship it all."

"You're drunk," she said quickly. "Hours ago you laughed at the idea of us." she added, as he loosened his hold. She looked at his face and undeniably, it was as Sasuke's was, who was much too attractive by moonlight, but it was not the same either. He seemed to sense her ambivalence, his eyes like ebony mirrors gazing at her steadily, flickered. He shifted his gaze then to the dark stairs below and descended. Ino watched him, pulled her own robes against her. She fluttered her lashes rapidly in a blink then turned from his departure and headed back up the stairs. She could not sleep for the fact that she wanted to speak with Sakura who might not want to speak after what Sai had told her. This knowledge of the Otokage returning to battle her realm was unsettling, especially when her loved ones were involved and her betrothed. Ino knocked on the door, but she yielded no response. Ino reached into her pocket of her robe and pulled out the key to the room.

Ino entered the dimly lit room and found Sakura standing on the ledge of the window, the snow drifting down, catching in her hair. She was staring out the window at the moon. Ino could not look away. Sakura, was going to jump out the window to her death? Ino snapped out of her reverie. She ran over to the distraught girl, took her by the skirt of her dress and pulled her down back inside. When Ino had Sakura firmly back on the bed, she shut the window, locked it and stared at Sakura in disbelief. "What were you doing?" the words came out too harshly. Ino regretted her tone almost immediately. Ino stared at Sakura's eyes filled with sorrow. Guilt hammered into her heart. "I'm sorry Sakura… I was just worried, I guess."

Sakura, her palm pressed against her forehead, was trying to hold back her tears. "I wanted to see the moon. I was just looking." She rested her head on a pillow and closed her eyes, red and puffy from crying. "I wasn't trying to kill myself." She told her firmly. Ino eyed her suspiciously. Sakura covered her face with both hands. "I was just thinking. I just want to disappear far away from here and Konohagakure." Ino nodded. She could only imagine how Sakura felt, she did not fully understand, how could she, she was not undergoing the same circumstances that Sakura was experiencing. She pulled Sakura up, wrapped her arms around her, and pulled her close. Ino dipped her head, burying her face in the girl's pink hair. Perhaps this simple act could at least help make her feel like not all hope was completely departed from Otogakure's palace.

"Listen, I cannot promise you anything, but maybe… when the Otokage returns I might speak to him on your behalf. What further use are you here? The time of truce has crumbled and he now takes his army to Konohagakure." Sakura's shoulders shook with sobs. Small keening wails of grief poured forth, interrupted only by sniffles as she tried to catch her breath. She looked up at Ino, and in the dimness, she could see the swollen eyes, the red nose, and the blotchy complexion and frustratingly enough, she was still beautiful. Ino could not bear to have her here and tolerating Sasuke to befall any bewitching seductions from one she herself did not approve or ever would. She loved Sasuke no matter the truth that he may never return those feelings or did not want to. She pushed Sakura back by the shoulders and looked at her with a smile, besides; the girl Sasuke took to his bed did not love him. She voiced her love faithfully since her arrival. She loved Hyuuga Neji of Konohagakure.

"What am I going to do?" Sakura whispered to Ino. "I want to go home. I want to see Neji. I told myself I was angry with him. That I did not want to see him, but I do. I want to go back and be with him and my family. I am sorry, so sorry that I thought such awful notions, but I did not really feel that way, deep inside. I have nothing but love for Neji. I sometimes feel mad with grief and uncertainty. I know that he was in poor condition when the Otokage returned him home, but how long must I endure this imprisonment?"

Ino nodded her head in agreement. "Emotions can be confusing. I have had my share of strange encounters with men and they assume we are the mystifying ones. I can tell you love your Neji-san, so, allow me try to help you return home back with the people you love and miss. He has to return to replenish his provisions. It is obvious that the Otokage broke his promise, so I do not believe you should hold to yours any longer. That was the deal right? You would stay in place of his prisoner and he would grant peace with Konohagakure." Sakura nodded her head, giving Ino a quizzical glance.

"You would do that, for me?" As Ino nodded she reflected it was for her own sake, even as Sakura thankfully hugged her taut. "Do you think he would allow it?" Sakura asked, the excitement apparent in her voice, her green eyes bright. Ino pressed her lips together and nodded. She was not sure what Sasuke would say or do, it was not her place to address such things with him, she was not royalty or of like status, she would do anything to have Sasuke back as he was before, a man without distractions.

"I am sure he'll listen. Sasuke-Ojisama and I grew up together. You know he was an adorable boy." she reminisced fondly with a little giggle. Sakura smiled and sat close to Ino, who twirled a bit of blonde hair around one long finger, biting the inside of her lip to contain a smile. Sakura gave Ino a warm smile that made her feel like a child caught doing something she should not.

"He must be dear to you indeed, from the tone in which you speak of him. Your very emphasizes breathes love."

"Yes, I love him, and you have seen him and must know why I love him. He is handsome, he is knowledgeable, he is ambitious, he is brave, he is good; he is sad, but he will not always be so; and I love him oh so much."

"All lovers are handsome and brave and fond." Sakura said, smiling.

"But sometimes, as you know, there are circumstances that prevent lovers from uniting." Ino frowned now; a look of sorrow possessed her as she absorbed Sakura's lovely face up close. Her soft eyebrows perfectly shaped and arched slightly. The femininity of her thin pink lips, the softness of her smooth light complexion and the long silkiness of her pink hair, all the qualities that men were drawn to in Ino's experience. She did not want to understand or notice why Sasuke would take her to his bed or that rumors of the two whispered through the halls. Ino felt tired once again and excused herself from Sakura's company. Sakura thanked her again before she left. Ino sighed as she closed the door.

Sakura laid out on the bed, looking out the large window. She really hadn't tried to kill herself, though the image in Ino's eyes perhaps was that of a desperate girl, weak on her will and so trapped that death was the only escape, if only spiritually. She was only dreaming of flying. She climbed onto the windowsill, under the glowing disc of the moon and the glittering stars showering the land with snowfall. The very idea of floating off into the night sky and soaring home filled her with a strange, but warm joy she could not obtain otherwise. She hugged the pillow and sighed. Ino spoke of the Otokage with the fondness of a lover but something was keeping them from being together. Sakura thought with reluctance on her time the Otokage, the time she spent in his bed. He was a skilled lover who knew what he was doing, knew how to surprise and tease. He had entangled her in a sensual spell and she had wanted more from him. For several heartbeats, she remained in the clutches of guilt. Ino loved the Otokage and she allowed herself his seductions upon her, his smooth lips pressing a warm kiss to her own. Sakura felt guilty and confused. She should not feel the way she did; it was not as though he was in love with her. She would be mortified to learn that he was. They barely interacted with one another, it was impossible to have a real emotion twining them together, especially after the previous night before. Sakura refused to believe it. For all she cared, Ino could have him; after all, even with the distance between them, she had Neji, her betrothed and love.

Sakura turned her thoughts to what Ino might say to the Otokage, what words would spur his mind and heart and grant Sakura her freedom and ultimate return to her home, but he was there now, he was heading to Konohagakure with cruel intent. She would never believe that he was traveling there under a flag of peace. Sakura felt uneasy, she could not return to sleep; Ino and Sai had stirred her heart and mind. She thought of everything, every outcome, good or ill. She wanted nothing more than to be away from here and yet as she reawakened the feelings of the previous night and the way the Otokage had touched her in a way she had never been touched, she felt wrecked. Why should she think of another man in this manner, why was she being tormented in such a manner, was she such a wanton woman to crave his touch again?

It was not as though she desired to be with him again; perhaps it was just the moment, the memory, the deed so fresh and raw. She felt anger rising again in her chest, with another whirl of emotions. She thought she might lose her mind. Ino was gone now and she believed Ino would not be back again tonight. She climbed out of the bed and felt the brush of the cold as she crossed to the window for the second third time that night. She lifted herself onto the seat below the window, unlatched the lift, and pushed the windows wide open. A blast of cold wind rushed in, bringing snow and ice that chilled her to the bone. She looked out the window at the snow-blanketed garden. It was beautiful; everything glistened white under the moon. Sakura reached her hand out to catch the snowflakes. She cast her gaze back up towards the heavens, closing her eyes against the wind, the cold and the snow; it brushed against her cheeks and numbed her nose, her ears and her fingers.

She wondered where he was, how far he had traveled. The snow on the ground appeared deep, several inches thick. Sakura frowned, she had set out to save Neji once, how was it that she could not go now; she did not require Ino to wait for the return of a man who may not grant her release. The army was gone; her guards did not watch her as they had on her first days in Otogakure. No eyes watched her in the night and with the snow she could disappear quite easily from the palace and who would notice until too late, who would care in the moment. Sakura felt the determination setting in her bones as firmly as the cold. Why wish to fly away, when she could do it. The circumstances were not so different when she left home of Otogakure, there was no reason not to leave Otogakure for home. Someone would try to stop her journey here; someone would try to stop her journey there.

Se reached for the windows and pulled them shut. She could not leave now; she would leave in the last hours of the day tomorrow, before the sun would set, but when the shadows would skulk over the snow covered earth. There was no snow when she made her trek to Otogakure, but she would best the weather, she would overcome her obstacles. Ino was right; if he broke his promise, there was nothing bounding her to her promise to him any longer. Sakura locked the window once again and settled back into the bed, she would spend her last night in this bed. She pulled the blankets close to her and closed her eyes, her mind was awake and she was willing herself to sleep. She kept her eyes closed and took deep breaths, willing herself not to think of anything she could think of as soon as Ino returned to rouse her with the sun's arrival.

_Just sleep, _she told herself, _just sleep…_

Her stubborn mind would not give her the ease she required to fall asleep; it started spinning with the same thoughts that kept her roused most nights since her arrival to Otogakure the need to escape and the need to return home. She thought back to her previous thought, how far did the Otokage get in the snow drift would he be close to Konohagakure by the next day, would there still be time for her to reach them, meet them and go on before them without encountering them? How would the army and the horses fair in the snowdrift? She did not suppose it would be much of an achievement. She turned and she thought back on willing herself to fall asleep. She would prepare herself tomorrow. She had enough of sitting on her hands, waiting for someone to come rescue her. She would save herself and she would try to save Konohagakure as well.

She owed no one anything here. She was thankful for Ino and even though Sai merely thought of her as an instrument to eliminate an opponent and as aware of it as she was, she was thankful for the company he provided her when she felt lonely. Now was her chance to seize her freedom, to escape the lasting nightmare that she had lived day after day and night after night. Sakura clung to her pillow and willed her mind to ease, she would need all the rest she could get, she would be escaping in conditions that were not hardly tolerable and she was not sure what she might encounter on her way out and back. She tired to think of seeing her parents' faces again and to hold them close and tell them how she loved them and even though she was away for so long in enemy hands, she was all right, and she had endured.

When Sakura finally felt her body ease, she found herself imagining the Otokage. His face rose unbidden in her mind. Framed by thick, raven hair, his lean beautiful face with a firm jaw, high, wide cheekbones, a straight nose and mouth she found tempting despite the stern line it usually formed into. His eyes captivated her enticingly. Set beneath dark, gently curved brows, rimmed with long, thick lashes were eyes as black as coal and nearly as hard, she could not see where the iris ended and the pupil began. The howl of battle resounded in her sleep-vision like a maelstrom. Screams and shrieks of the dead and dying, blood splashed over his face, dripping down and over his lips. There was a flurry of snow. The soft flakes floated through the smoke-laden air. Sakura whimpered in her sleep. He was a beautiful disaster, he would lay waste to Konohagakure and she could not stop it. She could try to reach Konohagakure and warn them; even if she was too late, the urge to try was great and even greater was her determination to leave behind the bleak world she found she cast her self in to save a man she loved. The Otokage was a several miles ahead of her with horses to close the distance she had yet to travel, she feared the worst and it made for a restless night, she wondered if she would be in time and knew that she had to be, no matter the cost.

The night was cold with winter's presence. The sharp, bitterness of the wind cut across the Otokage's face, causing his eyes to tear. When he exhaled, the wind snatched away the smoke and the steam of his breath, and made him feel even colder. After hours of tromping in the snowstorm, Sasuke had lost some feeling in his fingers, gloved as they were, and his booted toes. He could feel an icy pain working its way up his back. His chest ached, and his throat was raw; his eyelids almost frozen shut. His body was sore with the cold. He pushed the numbness out of his mind and continued riding onward, further into the dark and snowy forest. He pulled his thin, black cloak tighter against his body, trying to ward against the growing snowdrifts, some so high they threatened to force him back with his purpose unfulfilled. He was determined to see this through and was closer to completing his quest for revenge than he had ever been. No winter storm, no matter how cold or terrible it might be, was going to keep him from finally ending it.

Encouraging his steed on, up the whitened slope and through the trees, his troops followed. They had traveled for hours, eating up the miles in a steady fast lope. They flashed before his eyes, the ghosts of his parents, lying toppled over one another, lifeless, their bodies cut open and the blood spilled about them. He peered into the ashen gloom, skeletal in their winter form the braches stretched out toward him, like the desperate arms of his dead parents. They were silently begging Sasuke to help them, but it was too late for rescue. He could do nothing to save them. Breaking the illusion and pounding down the hillside, they came to a stretch of open ground. Sasuke reined in his mount. He surveyed the stretch of open ground before him; there were faint tracks in the snow, only just now vanishing with the drift. Suigetsu loomed alongside him. "They were here." Suigetsu noted, with his eyes focused on the ground below. Sasuke nodded his head as the wind blew up and whistled in the trees, which had grown icy teeth, snarling down from the bare brown and rattling branches. Karin and Juugo, on their respected steeds trotted closer, Karin pressing her gloved hands to her mouth, puffing warm breath into her cupped palm, Juugo a silent wall against the cold wind.

"How many...?" Karin asked, squinting her crimson eyes down below them and then into the dark of the forest beyond. She moved closer to Sasuke until she could rest her head comfortably against his shoulder. "I should ride with you to keep you warm." She teased with a whisper. Sasuke pretended he did not hear. Would she talk like that? Sasuke asked himself, suddenly and briefly thinking of his captive princess, her soft, floral scented pink tresses just under his nose to tease his senses.

"A few more, a few less…" Suigetsu lifted his chin, his eyes bright and menacing. "They're not far, we'll catch them soon." There was a hint of pleasure lacing his words. "We find them; we kill them, every one." A thin smirk drawing up his lips and revealing a row of white teeth, filed into sharp points. Suigetsu's smile grew even further, his tongue darting out to lick his top lip as if he were about to feast on a decadent banquet, toying with the thought as a predator often did with its prey. Sasuke said nothing; he would let Suigetsu off his rope every now and then, especially when the purpose served his intentions.

"Then let's be going." Sasuke muttered. He reached down and took hold of the reigns. His hands tightening as they did, Sasuke tried to keep her at bay from penetrating his mind. He checked his surroundings for signs of danger, nothing could steer him from his destination now: Konohagakure. He looked at the clearing around him, but he could discern little. It was dark and gloomy, the braches, ever reaching. The available light allotted was reflected off the heavy snowfall, highlighting the narrow path with a ghostly glow deeper into the forest. The frigid wind became so fierce that even the larger branches were solidly frozen, weighted down by ice and snow. The cold wind that made it hard to keep going, even the air itself protested the unnatural storm, echoing the vengeful sounds of the wind back at him.

Sasuke pulled his collar up higher to cover his frosted cheeks. It was the harshest winter any of them had ever experienced. "As our Otokage-sama commands," Suigetsu reared up his charger and then, as he dropped back down, kicking up snow from the earth, he plowed down the hill. On Sasuke's order, Suigetsu rode ahead of the troops. As he did so, his right arm swept out, and he called out an order. Some of the troops veered off to the right. Suigetsu barked out a second order and another group headed to the left. The troops ran on silently. They plowed through the thickness of the woods and the low-hanging branches. They then slowed and Juugo pointed ahead. Columns of men were marching over the brow of the hill some quarter of a mile away.

Images of fire and smoke and cries of pain, agony, and grief emerged from somewhere deep inside him. It almost seemed that Sasuke swayed, hypnotized by the rhythm of the cries in his mind. He first saw a group of bare trees on fire. The yellow flames quickly sprang from the tree to another and then another, engulfing everything in its intense heat, its crippling blaze. Cries for help and screams of terror and pain echoed through his mind as they crested the hill upon the troop of the Hokage still marching ahead of them, oblivious to the danger. He smirked, his own wicked grin as one of the soldiers swung around and shouted a warning. The soldiers drew their weapons and tried to form a defensive wall. There was no time. The Otokage's unit tore into them. Karin, thrown from her mount by a soldier's long spear, hit the ground hard, rolling. The spearmen loomed over her, banishing a sword now. Sasuke's sword hacked into the man's neck, and there was a satisfying gush of blood. Blood bubbled and spurted, splattering over Sasuke's face and he fell, limp, great gouts of gore pulsing from the out from the gash. Sasuke wrenched free his blade and turned, running into the fray. An officer on a tall horse was leading the men. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, hate and vengeance coiled in his stomach.

Sasuke gripped his weapon, ran up the white hill and through the brigade. A few soldiers tried to deter his pursuit as they caught sight of him, they broke ranks, spread out, they charged with swords and spears drawn. A large solider swung his sword haphazardly at Sasuke's neck in a mighty arc. Sasuke stood his ground as the man let out a fierce cry, his sword clashing against Sasuke's with a loud clang amongst the din. At the impact, Sasuke swung underneath, but the brute parried as if his sword held no weight. He was not a skilled fighter, rather a man who liked to hack aimlessly and auspiciously with pure strength. The brute grunted and swung his sword fiercely, as if to cut Sasuke in two. Leaping backward, the blade slicing by with a loud whoosh, he avoided contact. Sasuke caught him off guard and sliced the brute's face wide open with the slashing swing of his sword, he grabbed his face, screaming in agony. Blindly, the sword came around again in a wide sweep. Sasuke dropped to his knees to avoid it and lacerated with a shorter blade, the man let out another cry and hit his knees, his hot, split blood melting the snow. He had hoped the man would have dropped the sword, but his fist still held it desperately tight, and in an instant it was sweeping through the air again.

Sasuke swooped down, after a carefully planned roll, coming to his feet and immediately lunging at his enemy. His opponent avoided the stab, but he stumbled and he was unable to swing the sword back for another effective assault. His own momentum made driving the short blade into his belly rather simple. He drove the blade deep to the hilt and up. The man scream, blood gurgled in his throat, choking his screams to silence and he thudded to the snow below, still. Another soldier thrust his sword toward Sasuke's left, who easily parried it away with the side of his sword. He quickly thrust his sword and then quickly plunged his sword into the soldier's neck. Blood spurted everywhere and the soldiers eyes rolled up. He dropped face down upon the last body and Sasuke spit on his corpse and looked up for the Battle Commander.

He looked down on the fleet of soldiers below him, slain by him, by his men, an emotionless expression plastered on his face. These were the faces, the bodies of his enemies. He wanted blood, he wanted revenge and Konohagakure was his sacrifice, his means to bring about his demon from an unwanted past. Where was he? Where was he! He narrowed his eyes, the flurry of wafting snow blinding him; he nearly came to blows with Suigetsu, who was already in a murderous frenzy. Their sword blades linked, Sasuke held back his sword, squeezed his wrist, pushed back his arm. His face, like Sasuke's, covered in blood, his eyes wild, until Sasuke knocked him back. He stayed grounded, looked up and then smiled, the same wicked smile, only his eyes lifted from the veil-concealing foe from ally. "More!" he barked, brushing away the white hair speckled with blood falling over his forehead and into his eyes. He bounded back into the scrimmage. Sasuke turned to see Karin loosing arrows, one after another, men falling prey to her accuracy. Juugo, where the giant he slew earlier, successfully using his bare hands and even the soldiers own weapons against them.

"There won't be any left…" Sasuke hissed, peering through the onset blizzard. He strode through the storm, his cape wavering, torn, bloodied, tattered. The cold no longer a concern, his was Itachi… his was the Battle Commander, for a reason no serious, he told himself, than the suffering wrought. The descendants of Otogakure would be the wind to fan the flame of Uchiha, the descendants of Konohagakure the straw. They would burn and be destroyed. There would be no one left among them. "There will be no survivors in Konohagakure. I, Otogakure no Oujisama, have spoken!" He shouted against the wind. The snow painted red with the blood of the fallen.

* * *

**A/N: Forgive me ahead of time if this story never has an appropriate conclusion. I really don't know what to do with these characters in this story and my other story I posted is a huge failure. I am feeling like a wash up...**


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